It was a peaceful morning in Chamoli, Uttarakhand. Workers were going about there business in the Joshimath district. Work was going on in an underground tunnel at Tapovan when they heard screaming from outside urging them to get out of the tunnel at once.

“We heard people screaming at us to come out of the tunnel but before we could react, a sudden gush of water and heavy silt swamped upon us,” rescued Tapovan power project worker Lal Bahadur said.

Also Read: Uttarakhand glacier breach: 18 bodies recovered, search on for 202 missing people

As the water gushed into the tunnel, Lal Bahadur and 11 other workers got trapped 300 meters deep in the tunnel.

“We were 300 metres deep in the tunnel when the water gushed in. We got trapped. The ITBP rescued us,” said Nepal resident Basant. 

As per officials, they were stuck in the tunnel for about seven hours, from around 10 am to 5 pm, until the last man was evacuated by rescuers.

Also Read: Raging muddy waters and shaking ground is all that Uttarakhand survivors remember

They were trapped in a tunnel with neck-deep water and debris and all they could do was cling on to the rod, keep there heads above the water somehow and console each other. 

“We lost hope…but then we saw some light and felt some air to breathe…suddenly one of us found he had network on his mobile and then he called up our general manager informing him about our situation,” the unidentified man said from the hospital bed.

According to officials, the project General Manager immediately informed the local authorities who notified ITPB rescuers and the workers located and pulled-out. 

A resident of Joshimath, Vinod Singh Pawar said they climbed half-way up inside the tunnel through the rods but got stuck as the water came rushing in. “We are thankful to the ITBP rescuers for saving us,” he said

Also Read: Uttarakhand avalanche: All about Nanda Devi glacier that left massive wreckage behind

The border force began air-dropping food packets on Monday in at least nine villages that have been cut off due to the floods, reported PTI. 

Vivek Kumar Pandey, ITPB spokesperson said, “Beyond the Raini bridge (which was swept away by the floods), there are nine villages and choppers are dropping food packets after picking them up from our base in Joshimath.”