Gopeshwar/ Dehradun,  31 Dec

At least 88 people were injured after two loco trains collided inside a tunnel of the under-construction Vishnugad–Pipalkoti hydropower project in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Tuesday night, officials said.

The accident occurred around 8.30 pm at the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) site inside the Pipalkoti tunnel being built by THDC (India). One of the loco trains was ferrying workers and officials for the night shift, while the other was carrying construction material.

Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said the workers’ train had travelled nearly two kilometres inside the tunnel when the material-carrying loco train approaching from the opposite direction lost control and rammed into it. A total of 109 people were on board the workers’ train at the time of the collision, most of them labourers.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed officials to ensure proper medical treatment for all those injured.

Officials said none of the injuries were serious. Of the injured, 70 labourers were taken to the district hospital in Gopeshwar, where 66 were discharged after first aid, while four remain under treatment. Eighteen others were given first aid at Vivekananda Hospital in Pipalkoti and later sent home.

District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar and Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar visited the injured at the Gopeshwar District Hospital.

The Railways clarified that the incident had no connection with Indian Railways. In a statement, it said the “train” mentioned in reports referred to a locally operated rail-like trolley system used for transporting workers and materials inside the tunnel during construction.

The Vishnugad–Pipalkoti project, located between Helang and Pipalkoti on the Alaknanda River, is designed to generate 444 MW of power through four turbines and is targeted for completion next year