GUWAHATI

Rescue teams have recovered the bodies of 22 people killed in the “explosive release of suspected methane gas” in a headrace tunnel of the NHPC’s Teesta-VI Hydropower Project in Sikkim’s Namchi district on July 20.

Officials said the search and recovery operations for the remaining victims, estimated to be at least three, continue.

“A total of 22 bodies have been recovered so far,” Namchi’s District Magistrate Anupa Tamling told The Hindu on Thursday (July 23, 2026).

Officials said personnel of multiple agencies, including those specialising in coal-bearing areas, conducted operations until midnight on Wednesday under difficult conditions. A second rescue team from Eastern Coalfields Limited in West Bengal’s Asansol was also deployed after it reached the spot at around 10 p.m.

Earlier, the NHPC announced an ex gratia payment of ₹5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. The hydropower CPSU also said its top officials were present at the site, closely monitoring and coordinating the rescue operations with all agencies involved.