Death toll in Uttarakhand’s tunnel accident rose to eight as the body of one more labourer was found during the search and rescue operation on Saturday. Search is underway for two more workers who got trapped in the under-construction tunnel at a hydroelectric project site following a landslide in Chamoli district on Thursday, the police said.

Chamoli district disaster management officer N K Joshi said the body of the worker, identified as Devnath of Chhattisgarh, had been sent to the hospital.

Twenty-two workers were trapped inside the tunnel after water and debris gushed into it following the landslide.

Tehri Hydro Development Corporation India Limited (THDCIL), the executing agency, in a statement, had said that the incident occurred in the Tail Race Tunnel (TRT) of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project (VPHEP) on Thursday at approximately 6.20 pm when a large volume of water and debris suddenly entered the tunnel at Chainage 1440 meters (face-II), accompanied by a loud noise.

At the time of the incident, workers deployed by the principal executing agency, Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), were engaged in concrete lining work at Chainage 1230 metres.

Of the 22 workers trapped, 19 were rescued overnight. However, eight of those rescued had died, and the search for others continued on Saturday as well.

The government has deployed personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Army, CISF and the Uttarakhand Police for the search and rescue operation. Underwater cameras and dog squads are also being used.