Missing Malayali geologist Anish Mohan's family members reach Sikkim; rescue operation challenging

GANGTOK: The family members of Kottayam native Anish Mohan (43), who went missing in a landslide in a tunnel under construction in Sikkim, reached the accident site. Anish's wife Sangeetha, brother-in-law and Aneesh's brother have reached Sikkim. All three of them, who arrived in Delhi, were airlifted to Sikkim by the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) authorities. Anish's brother informed his friends back in his hometown that the search is facing practical difficulties, including with the signal.

Anish Mohan, a geologist and native of Pampady, Kottayam, is a senior manager at NHPC. He has been an employee at NHPC for 16 years. Anish, previously in Haryana with his family, was transferred to Sikkim as the unit manager seven months ago. With this, his wife and children returned to Kerala. Anish is a family member of Kooroth Parambil in Pampady, Vellore, Poothakuzhy.

Science writer and vlogger, Anish completed his BSc Geology from Nattakom Government College in 2001-04. He joined the Electric Power Corporation of Haryana in 2011. Later, he joined NHPC. He has been serving as a senior manager in Sikkim since 2026. He lives with his elderly parents at home in Vellore. Children: Karthiyani and Aarav.

The accident occurred around 3 pm on Tuesday. The rocks containing methane gas exploded with a loud noise. The impact caused a landslide and the tunnel door to close. The dangerously high methane levels posed a challenge to the rescue operation. The rescue workers who first entered the tunnel felt nauseous. Authorities said that methane, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide were present in and near the tunnel. 20 workers died in the accident. The search is ongoing for five people, including Anish, trapped in the Samardang tunnel for hours.