Pithoragarh Landslide Traps 19 Inside Dhauliganga Power Station Tunnel

What began as a routine afternoon at the Dhauliganga power station in Pithoragarh turned into a tense rescue mission when a landslide slammed into the tunnel entrance on Saturday, cutting off 19 personnel inside.

The sudden rush of boulders and debris, triggered by continuous rainfall, sealed the tunnel mouth, leaving the underground facility isolated. Eight men have since been pulled to safety, but 11 remain trapped, waiting for rescuers to carve through the rubble.

District magistrate Vinod Goswami described a race against time: "Debris has been removed from the tunnel mouth, and clearing work at the emergency shaft continues." Teams from the BRO, NHPC, NDRF, and CISF are working around the clock with heavy machinery to restore access.

Inside, those trapped are not entirely without support. Emergency supplies, kitchen facilities, and rest areas are available, giving rescuers precious time to break through. Among the missing are staffers Lalit Mohan Bisht, Suraj Gurdani, Vishnu Gupta, and senior officials like G Augustine Babu and Apurba Rai.

For families waiting outside, every update carries weight. The relief of hearing that their loved ones are safe is mixed with the anxiety of not knowing how long the ordeal will last.

Officials believe the landslide was triggered by a highway-widening project that destabilised the hillside, worsened by relentless rain. "Movement stopped completely as boulders kept crashing down," recalled M Kannan, group general manager of the station.

The episode echoes memories of the Silkyara tunnel collapse in Uttarkashi in 2023, where 41 men were trapped for 17 days before a dramatic rescue. Once again, Uttarakhand finds itself holding its breath, hoping machinery - and human will - can prevail against nature's force.