It’s a race against time to save nearly 40 workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in northern India’s Uttarakhand state. While workers were building the tunnel, a part of the tunnel collapsed due to a landslide yesterday morning (Sunday, November 12). Rescuers have now managed to contact 40 workers using radios and hope to be able to rescue them soon. “Rescue teams are preparing an escape route by drilling through the rubble,” local police chief Arpan Yaduvanshi told Reuters. “Food and water have been provided to the workers and we hope that the rescue operation will be completed in a short time. All the workers, around 40 inside, are in good health,” the police officer said.
The accident was caused by a nearby landslide, which caused heavy debris to fall on the tunnel and cause it to collapse. Piles of debris cut off oxygen to the workers, and as a result, the pipeline laid to supply water to the tunnel was converted to carry oxygen, food, and water to the workers. Rescue teams are using excavators and other heavy machinery to dig through the rubble.
Home to many Himalayan peaks and glaciers, the mountainous state of Uttarakhand in northern India is home to some of the holiest sites for Hindus. The region is sensitive to landslides, earthquakes and floods. The tunnel was being built on a national highway that is part of the Hindu pilgrimage route. The Char Dham pilgrimage project is one of the most ambitious projects of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government and aims to connect four important Hindu pilgrimage sites of northern India through an 889-kilometer two-lane road built at a cost of $1.5 billion.
A rescue operation is continuing to save 40 workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel under construction in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. pic.twitter.com/4LywLLWRam
— Reuters (@Reuters) 13 November 2023
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Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
