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2 dead in Thane hydel plant tunnel

Last updated on: June 30, 2005 19:08 IST

24 hours after 15 labourers were trapped inside a tunnel at the Sonda Hydel Project at Shahpur, Thane district, rescuers still haven't succeeded in entering the tunnel.

The tunnel has been flooded with rainwater and two bodies have been recovered so far, police said.

Speaking to rediff.com, Superintendent of Police (Thane Rural) Archana Tyagi said, "We have called navy divers for the rescue operation. It's raining continuously and a landslide has choked the entrance of the tunnel. The entire area has become slushy.  Irrigation engineers are assisting us on minimising the water level."

Rescue team reached the spot on Tuesday along with firemen.

Meanwhile, Thane (village) police control room said that water was still flowing inside the tunnel, obstructing rescue operation.

"The report of the incident reached us at around 1800 IST on Tuesday but the flooding took place an hour or two before that," Tyagi said.

Though the fire brigade, police and revenue authorities have launched a joint rescue operation, authorities voiced fears about the safety of the trapped labourers.

The Sonda Hydel Power project is located near Dolkhamb village in Shahpur taluka of Thane district, some 100 km from the district headquarters and nearly 150 km from here, police sources said.

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