FAMILIES OF THDC VISHNUGAD-PIPALKOTI TUNNEL TRAGEDY VICTIMS REACH SETTLEMENT, Rs 45 LAKH COMPENSATION FOR DEAD
Sunil Negi | PIPALKOTI / CHAMOLI | 21 AUGUST 2026
After week-long protests and negotiations, the families of workers who died and were injured in the sudden ground collapse inside the under-construction THDC Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project have reached an amicable settlement with THDC and contractor HCC.
*As per settlement:*
– Families of those who died will be paid *Rs 45 LAKH* as financial compensation
– Families of the injured will be paid *Rs 3.50 LAKH* per person
The aggrieved families had been negotiating since August 13, the day the tragedy occurred.
According to reports, the tragedy took place around 6.30 PM on August 13 inside the 3-km long Tail Race Tunnel at Mayapur in Chamoli. A sudden landslide and seepage from a cavity 1.5 km inside the tunnel led to massive influx of silt, mud and debris, trapping 22 workers.
A swift multi-agency rescue was launched by 57 NDRF, 42 SDRF, 21 ITBP personnel with specialized pumps and HCC machinery. By late night, 19 workers were evacuated – 7 were declared dead and 12 injured, while 3 remained missing initially. The deceased were identified as workers from Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami personally intervened, reached the accident spot by helicopter on August 14 and directed officials to mobilize all resources to locate the missing.
The incident has revived memories of the Silkyara tunnel collapse in November 2023, when 41 workers were trapped for 17 days and were rescued after efforts by NDRF, SDRF and international tunneling experts.
