In India, work to rescue 41 workers from a partially collapsed highway tunnel is making slow progress. Ambulances are waiting in front of the scene of the accident, as footage from the local television station NDTV showed. The men have been trapped for twelve days. According to authorities, rescuers suffered repeated setbacks in their attempts to use a large drill to get through to those trapped.
The 4.5-kilometer-long highway tunnel partially collapsed on November 12 after a landslide. After the incident, rubble blocked the workers’ way back to daylight. The scene of the accident is near the small town of Uttarkashi in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand – a region with many Hindu temples that attracts pilgrims. The tunnel was intended to improve connections there.
The authorities initially promised a quick rescue, but this then continued to be delayed. On Wednesday, rescuers appeared to be making quick progress with a powerful drill, but then they encountered metal rods, among other things. The idea is to push tubes into the rubble through which the men can get out. In the meantime, they are supplied with oxygen, water, food and medicine through narrower pipes.
