Death toll in northeastern India from tunnel collapse rises to 20

The death toll from the collapse of a tunnel in northeastern India has risen to 20, while five others remain trapped, officials said Wednesday.

Twenty-five people were trapped Monday in an under-construction tunnel of a hydroelectric project in Namchi district of Sikkim state after a "sudden burst of suspected methane gas present inside the rocks, which led to an explosion generating dense fumes and toxic gases," the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation said in a statement.

"Our site engineering teams are working round-the-clock alongside the authorities to assist in stabilizing the tunnel environment and ensuring rescue," it said.

"Out of those 25 trapped inside the tunnel, 20 are confirmed dead," Namchi Superintendent of Police Sonam D Bhutia told the Press Trust of India.

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said the government will "constitute a high-level enquiry committee to ascertain the exact cause of this unfortunate incident."

"The district administration, in coordination with the National Disaster Response Force…and other emergency agencies, are working tirelessly to carry forward the rescue operations," he said on the US social media platform X.

Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured of "every possible assistance from the government of India to support the rescue efforts."