Indian rescuers have completed drilling through the rubble in the collapsed tunnel in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand where 41 workers have been trapped for more than two weeks, Press Trust of India reported citing an official it didn’t identify.
Rescue workers broke through the 60-meter stretch of rubble in the under-construction highway tunnel on Tuesday, the news agency reported. On Nov. 12, a portion of the tunnel collapsed due to debris falling in a small stretch about 200 meters from the entrance, trapping the workers.
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.
--With assistance from Akriti Sharma and Saket Sundria.
