A worker died late at night in a fresh accident inside the Silkyara tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, after part of the tunnel's lining suddenly gave way. The mishap took place at around 2 am, roughly 900 metres inside the tunnel from the Barkot end, where a block of shotcrete lining broke off and came crashing down. A 21-year-old labourer from Jharkhand was caught underneath and died on the spot.
What happened inside the tunnel
According to initial information, construction work was underway inside the tunnel when the accident occurred around 2 am. The shotcrete lining block, located nearly 900 metres in from the Barkot side, suddenly cracked and collapsed. The young worker had no chance to move away and was killed instantly by the falling debris. The exact cause of the collapse has not yet been established, and efforts are on to determine what triggered it.
What the company and officials said
Shriram, project manager of Navayuga, the company constructing the tunnel, confirmed the incident and said the deceased worker originally belonged to Jharkhand. The body has been sent to the Naugaon Community Health Centre for a post-mortem examination. Officials at the District Disaster Operation Centre said the cause of the accident is still being investigated. The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, or NHIDCL, will carry out a detailed inquiry into the incident and prepare a factual report. Authorities have made clear that the causes of the accident and other related facts will be officially confirmed only once the investigation report is submitted.
The tunnel was in the headlines back in 2023 too
This is not the first time the Silkyara tunnel has drawn national attention. In November 2023, 41 workers were trapped inside the same tunnel and fought for survival for around 17 days before a long and difficult rescue operation finally brought all of them out safely. This latest accident at the same site has once again raised questions about the safety of tunnels still under construction.
