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Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said that there were a total of 109 people in the train, mostly workers, at the time of the accident that occurred late Tuesday (December 30) evening.
He said that the train has been evacuated and the condition of all the injured is stable.
The DM said one train was carrying people and the other carrying material inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the project being built by THDC (India) when they collided.
The railways said in a statement that the trains involved in the collision did not belong to it but were part of the local system.
“It is clarified that during a hydro power project tunnel construction, an unfortunate incident occurred due to local trolley transport arrangement in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. This incident has nothing to do with Indian Railways. The trains mentioned in the news are not Indian Railways trains. It is a local arrangement made by the Tunnel Project team for transportation.”
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According to officials, the loco trains are used to transport workers, officials and materials for construction work inside the tunnels.
Chamoli Sub-Collector said that 10 injured have been sent to Gopeshwar District Hospital for treatment.
The 444 MW hydroelectric project is being built on the Alaknanda river between Helang and Pipalkoti in Chamoli district.
The project is to generate 111 MW of power through four turbines. The target is to complete it by next year.