Indian rescuers close workers trapped in Himalayan tunnel

INDIA:

Rescuers hope to drill through the last third of debris blocking a collapsed tunnel in the Indian Himalayas by early Thursday to reach the 41 workers trapped for ten days, an official said, provided there are no new obstacles.

The men have been stuck in the 4.5km tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on November 12 and are safe, authorities said, with access to light, oxygen, food, water and medicine.

Authorities have not said what caused the tunnel to collapse, but the area is prone to landslides, earthquakes and flooding. Efforts to extract the men have been slowed by blockages in drilling in the mountainous terrain.

By Wednesday, rescuers had drilled through 42 meters (130 feet) of the roughly 60 meters (197 feet) that need to be cleared in order to push a pipe wide enough for the men to crawl out, said Mahmood Ahmed, an official with the stable construction of the tunnel.

“A lot of hurdles may come up, but if they don’t, hopefully by late evening or early tomorrow we will all have good news,” said Ahmed, the managing director of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL). he told reporters.

Reading The first images from the Indian tunnel show workers trapped for nine days

Possible obstacles to the debris could include large boulders, rocks and metal beams, he said, adding that welding the discharge pipe takes longer than drilling.

The trapped men received fruit and cooked food after a second, larger pipeline came through on Monday.

Hygiene items and clothes have also been pushed, said Neeraj Khairwal, a rescue coordination official.

“The workers are very positive and in a very good state of mind,” he added.

Doctors and chest specialists are among 15 doctors at the scene, said RCS Panwar, the district’s chief medical officer, with 40 ambulances on standby.

Anxious families of 11 of the 41 trapped men have arrived at the crash site, anxious to see them rescued. Those trapped are low-wage workers, most from impoverished states in northern and eastern India.

“I am worried and will be worried while my brother is not out of this tunnel, but now it seems the time has come,” said Indrajeet Kumar, who traveled from the eastern state of Jharkhand, worried about his trapped brother. Vishwajeet.