A soil collapse occurred at the construction site of the Rogun HPP, leaving people injured

Ground collapse occurred at the construction site of the Rogun HPP, casualties reported

A ground collapse occurred in one of the tunnels at the construction site of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant in Tajikistan. According to eyewitnesses, more than five workers were injured. The incident took place on October 22, but official information regarding the condition of the victims has not yet been published.

As media report, one of the power plant's employees linked the collapse to an accumulation of soil and stones during the excavation of a rocky area near the tunnel.

According to him, the accumulated water then caused this mass to collapse. He called the event "an accident unrelated to the quality of construction," but at the same time neither confirmed nor denied reports of casualties.

Eyewitnesses, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, told journalists that several people were trapped under the rubble. Representatives of the Rogun HPP have not yet commented on the incident.

Safety issues at the Rogun HPP construction site have been raised before. Thus, in November 2024, an accident occurred at the construction site, resulting in the deaths of three workers, with another person injured.

In 2025, discussions regarding construction safety continued. An employee of an Iranian company involved in the project claimed that low-quality materials might be in use. Another worker, on the contrary, stated that international financial organizations inspect the quality of work daily.

In the same year, the authorities of Tajikistan reported eight accidents at the Rogun HPP, without specifying the number of injured or deceased.

The Rogun HPP is being built on the Vakhsh River and is considered one of Tajikistan's strategic projects. Upon completion of construction, the 335-meter-high dam is set to become the tallest in the world. The plant will feature six hydraulic units with a capacity of 600 megawatts each.

Currently, two units are operational, with the launch of the third scheduled for September 2027. The World Bank allocated $300 million for the project, and an additional $500 million is expected from the Asian Development Bank. Full completion of construction is planned for 2035. The authorities expect that the new HPP will help reduce the country's electricity deficit.