India, July 21 -- At least eight people were killed, and 19 are feared trapped after landslides hit an under-construction tunnel of the Teesta hydroelectric project amid heavy rain at Samardung in Sikkim's Namchi district.

"We have recovered eight bodies and 19 persons are still feared to have been trapped inside the tunnel. Rescue operations continued throughout the [Monday] night, and the bodies could be recovered only in the early hours [of Tuesday]. As it is still raining, the rescue operations are being hampered," said police superintendent Sonam Doma Bhutia. He added three rescue attempts initially failed mainly because of bad weather and terrain conditions.

Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay said teams from the distric...