GANGTOK, July 21 : At least 20 workers were killed and five others remained trapped for over 24 hours after a tunnel under construction collapsed in Sikkim's Namchi district following an explosion of suspected methane gas.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia for the next of kin of each of those workers who died in the collapse of the NHPC tunnel and Rs 50,000 for every injured person.
PM also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured persons.
As many as 25 workers, including a few project officers, had been trapped inside the collapsed tunnel of the NHPC Teesta Stage VI Hydropower Project at Samardung shortly after 1 pm on Monday.
Out of those 25 trapped inside the tunnel, 20 are confirmed dead," Namchi Superintendent of Police Sonam D Bhutia said.
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