The 41 workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel in India for 12 days are believed to be hours away from freedom.
Rescuers carefully dug the tunnel toward the men after a landslide collapsed part of a 4.5-kilometer-long tunnel about 200 meters from the entrance on Nov. 12 in Uttarkashi, northern India.
Hopes of a breakthrough on Wednesday night were dashed after work had to be stopped when the drill, cutting through rock and concrete, hit metal bars.
However, these have now been cut with gas scissors.
Above ground in the mountainous region, the teams with mobile stretchers prepare for the rescue and are ready to pull the exhausted men through 57 meters of steel pipe once the last piece of debris blocking their escape is gone.
The 41 workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel in India for 12 days are just hours away from freedom.
The area outside the tunnel was abuzz with activity, with concerned family members gathering and rescue teams stopping to pray at a Hindu shrine set up at the entrance.
A crane carries part of the exercise as the rescue operation enters its final phase
Helpers pack food for workers trapped under the collapsed Silkyara road tunnel in Uttarkashi
A man prepares a barrel of food for the trapped workers
Ambulances and a field hospital are also ready to receive the men.
Bhaskar Khulbe, a former adviser to India’s prime minister and a senior government official who oversaw the rescue effort, said: “We have to drill 14 meters deeper into the tunnel.”
“If all goes well, we hope to reach them tonight.”
He added that the “detained workers were in good mental condition.”
For the past two weeks, the men have been kept alive by pumping oxygen to their location and sending food such as nuts, chickpeas and popcorn to the group every two hours.
A government statement also said that any schedule is “subject to change due to technical difficulties, challenging Himalayan terrain and unforeseen emergencies.”
The area outside the tunnel was abuzz with activity, with concerned family members gathering and rescue teams stopping to pray at a Hindu shrine set up at the entrance.
Rescuers take a break at the entrance to the road tunnel
Local residents worship the deity Boukhnag in the hope that it will bring the workers back safely
Members of the National Disaster Response Force enter the tunnel. The trapped men are believed to be safe and receiving oxygen, water, medicine and food via a tube
The tunnel is part of a government project linking Hindu pilgrimages
Paramedics wait at the tunnel while rescuers work on the final phase of their operation
Atul Karwal, head of the national disaster response force, said his teams practiced how to get the men out as quickly and safely as possible if the steel pipe breaks.
“The boys go in first,” he said Thursday. “We put wheels under the stretchers so we can put people on the stretcher one at a time as we go in. “We’re prepared in every way.”
Rescue efforts have been marred by repeated delays due to falling debris, fears of further collapses and drilling equipment failures.
Arnold Dix, president of the International Tunneling and Underground Space Association, which is on site to help with the rescue, said engineers even had to cut through construction vehicles buried in the ground when the roof first collapsed.
National Disaster Response Force personnel prepare for rescue
Ambulances are ready to take the trapped workers to the hospital
Members of the State Disaster Response Force personnel enter the tunnel
Crews work through the night to free the 41 men
Rescuers pack rice so it can be sent to the workers through a metal pipe
Police officers guard the site where the tunnel collapses
The police escort relatives of the workers’ trapped families who were waiting to see their loved ones
A Hindu priest offers prayers at the entrance to the tunnel
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today said the work was on a “war footing”, adding: “We are trying to overcome all obstacles quickly and bring all workers out safely.”
Syed Ata Hasnain, a senior rescue official and retired general, said the operation was “like a battle.”
“Here the country is your enemy,” he added. “The geology of the Himalayas is the enemy … it’s very challenging work.”
Experts have warned about the impact of large-scale construction in Uttarakhand, large parts of which are prone to landslides.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
