Pipalkoti, Aug. 14 -- Rescue operations to trace three people missing following an accident inside a THDC tunnel in the Pipalkoti area of Uttarakhand's Chamoli district remained challenging on Friday, with a large portion of the tunnel inundated with water and sludge.

Rescue personnel are facing difficult conditions inside the tunnel, with low visibility and uncertainty over the situation beneath the water. The SDRF teams had earlier used a makeshift boat to enter the flooded tunnel and carry out the search operation.

Alok Jayara, Assistant Commandant, NDRF, said that the search for the three missing people was continuing and teams were working in shifts to cover the affected area.

"The situation that prevailed around 5:30 AM this morn...