Himachal: ITBP rescues 3, retrieves 2 bodies from Tidong Hydropower Project accident site

On Saturday, the Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP) retrieved two bodies and rescued three others who were trapped inside the under-construction tunnel of the 100 MW Tidong hydropower project in Moorang tehsil of Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh. The hydropower project tunnel is currently under construction.

Soon after the rescue operation, the injured were rushed to a hospital for medical treatment. 

A senior Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP) officer said, “Two labourers died while three others were injured after the pressure Shaft Winch rope machine met with an accident. It was being used for transportation of labourers in the tunnel, which is part of an under-construction tunnel in 150 MW Tidong hydro-electric project in Kinnaur”, said A Kumar, ADM.

The incident happened when a trolley inside the tunnel of the 100 MW Tidong hydropower project slipped by going off track and fell deep inside at around 11 a.m. 

As per ANI, “Five workers of the Project were travelling in the trolley when it reportedly slipped off from the track of the project and fell deep inside to hundreds of feet crossing a slope of 45 to 50 degrees,” ADM A Kumar added.

The 50th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and other agencies began rescue operations, and three injured people were carried out of the tunnel.

Further, the ITBP personnel retrieved two dead bodies from the tunnel. The two deceased were the residents of Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand. The rescue operation was called off at 2.30 p.m. after the retrieval of the dead bodies.

The Tidong hydropower project is located near Retakhan at a tributary of the Satluj river named Tidong.

100 MW Tidong hydropower project

The Tidong Hydropower Plant is located in the Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh and is a 100 MW run-of-river hydropower project on a tributary of the Sutlej River. In 2018, Statkraft obtained the Tidong project which was about 60% complete at the time of acquisition.

The project uses water from the Tidong Khad, a significant tributary of the Sutlej River to harness a 610-meter head and generate 414 GWh per year. The hydropower plant will be using an 8 km long headrace tunnel, a 110m high surge shaft, a 1,200m long pressure shaft, and the surface powerhouse. The hydropower plant will have a storage capacity for upto 3 to 4 hours at peak.