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Workers trapped for 10th day in collapsed Indian tunnel

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Rescue efforts for 41 construction workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel face multiple challenges, including machine malfunctions and the constant threat of additional collapses. On Tuesday, Nov. 21, rescuers released video footage of construction workers who have been trapped in the tunnel for more than a week in mountainous northern India.

This screen grab image provided by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) shows one of the 40 workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in Silkyara, in the northern Indian Uttarakhand state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.  ( SDRF via AP)
AP Images

The workers have been stranded since a landslide triggered the collapse of a section of the 2.7-mile tunnel, situated about 500 feet from the entrance, on Sunday, Nov. 12. The hilly terrain, prone to landslides and subsidence, complicates the rescue mission.

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“We will reach you all soon, don’t worry,” an official told a trapped worker.

Rescuers initially attempted to drill into the collapsed debris but shifted strategy after days of efforts were hindered by technical malfunctions. The Indian Air Force had to fly in equipment twice.

Authorities are exploring five alternative plans to free the workers, with one involving vertical drilling from the mountaintop. Drilling operations were temporarily suspended on Friday, Nov. 17, due to a machine snag and concerns about the stability of the site.

An earth-mover makes a vertical drill on the top of a mountain where a tunnel that collapsed in Uttarakhand state, India, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Forty workers were trapped in the collapsed road tunnel in northern India for a seventh day Saturday as rescuers waited for a new machine to drill through the rubble so they could crawl to their freedom. (AP Photo)
AP Images

“If the strata permits, then we would try a 3-foot diameter hole. People can come up from there directly,” R. S. Rao, the director of Border Roads Organisation, said about the vertical drilling plan.

A new American Auger machine has been shipped in, which has a drilling capacity of up to 16 feet per hour and is equipped with a 2.9-foot diameter pipe to clear debris.

People watch rescue work at the site of an under-construction road tunnel that collapsed in mountainous Uttarakhand state, India, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Forty workers were trapped in the collapsed road tunnel in northern India for a seventh day Saturday as rescuers waited for a new machine to drill through the rubble so they could crawl to their freedom. (AP Photo)
AP Images

About 200 disaster relief personnel have been tirelessly working at the scene. The challenging conditions, combined with the urgency of the situation, demand innovative and meticulous approaches.

State officials have contacted Thai experts who helped rescue a youth soccer team trapped in a cave in Thailand in 2018, state government administrator Gaurav Singh said. They have also approached the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute for possible help.

Deepa Gaur, a government spokesperson, said the trapped workers are healthy, and they’re receiving food like nuts, roasted chickpeas and popcorn through a pipe.

A heavy machinery works at the the entrance to the site of an under-construction road tunnel that had collapsed trapping 40 workers in Silkyara in the northern Uttarakhand state, India, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. (AP Photo)
AP Images

The tunnel, part of the Char Dham Highway project, an ambitious federal government initiative to connect four significant Hindu pilgrimage sites, plays a crucial role in the infrastructure development plan. The incident underscores the risks associated with such large-scale projects in geographically complex regions.

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