NHPC knew of risks at Sikkim tunnel before deadly July blast, documents show

NHPC knew about methane gas at its Teesta Six hydropower tunnel in Sikkim since at least January, months before a blast killed twenty-five workers on July twentieth, internal company documents examined by Scroll.in show. The explosion tore through the head-race tunnel of the five hundred megawatt project, triggering a rockfall that trapped the workers with no survivors. NHPC's public statement pointed to a sudden, unexpected burst of trapped methane, but the documents Scroll.in reviewed suggest the risk was already known internally. The company says a detailed investigation into the cause is still underway.

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