Indian rescuers have completed drilling through the rubble in the collapsed tunnel in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand where 41 workers are trapped for more than two weeks, according to a government official.
Rescue workers broke through the 60-meter stretch of debris in the under-construction highway tunnel on Tuesday, Devendra Patwal, an official with the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority involved in the rescue operation, said via text messages. Trapped workers will “start coming out within hour,” he said from the tunnel site.
On Nov. 12, a portion of the tunnel collapsed about 200 meters from the entrance, trapping the laborers working inside.
Rescue efforts started by drilling through the debris inside the tunnel using heavy machinery which broke down, forcing rescuers to drill manually. The government deployed the so-called rat-hole miners to excavate a narrow passageway toward the trapped workers.
The mishap highlights the risks of large scale development in the mountainous region which is seismic and prone to landslides. The government recently said the National Highways Authority of India — which develops, maintains and manages highways — will carry out an audit of the 29 tunnels currently under construction in the country.
Rescue teams were able to supply some food and medicines through a pipe to keep the laborers alive. While the tunnel had electricity and water supply after the accident, there were concerns about dropping temperatures as winter sets in the mountainous region.
The portion of the tunnel where the workers were trapped is 8.5 meters high and two kilometers long, according to a government statement.
The 4.5-kilometer long tunnel is a segment of the 120 billion rupees ($1.4 billion) Char Dham connectivity project, which will stretch for about 889 kilometers (552 miles) across the fragile Himalayan terrain.
--With assistance from Akriti Sharma and Saket Sundria.
(Updates with comments from official in second paragraph)
