What happened
The Sikkim tunnel blast has become a large-scale rescue and recovery operation after the death toll rose to 22. The rescue team is working under severe time pressure because conditions inside the collapsed tunnel are deteriorating and the chance of finding more survivors is shrinking.
Why the incident matters
The incident highlights the human cost of tunnel and road infrastructure failures in mountain regions. It also raises standard UPSC themes such as disaster management, worker safety, engineering risk, and the ability of the state to respond quickly in remote terrain.
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