Excavators have been removing earth, rocks, and concrete from a road tunnel under construction in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand since November 12, after a section of the tunnel collapsed. However, rescue efforts have been hampered by continuous rockfalls and repeated malfunctions of heavy drilling equipment, forcing the air force to transport new equipment to the site by air twice.
According to AFP, engineers attempted to thread a hollow steel pipe horizontally through the collapsed area. The pipe was wide enough for the trapped people to crawl through and out, traversing a section at least 57 meters long that had been blocked by earth and rocks.
However, drilling through the rock in that direction had to be temporarily halted on November 17, after a loud crack created a "panic situation," according to officials.
Rescue workers at the scene on November 19.
Teams are preparing to dig a new tunnel to bring steel pipes down from above, forcing workers to construct an entirely new route running up to the top of the hill above to accommodate the heavy equipment needed. Officials estimate the tunnel will need to be as deep as 89 meters to reach those trapped.
"Every effort is being made," Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a statement on November 20, adding that "the workers trapped in the tunnel are now safe." He said he had spoken with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the incident.
Rescue workers communicated with the trapped workers by radio, while food, water, oxygen, and medicine were also delivered to them through a narrow pipe.
Anshu Manish Khalkho, director of the government 's NHIDCL infrastructure and highway company, said on November 20 that they had successfully installed a pipeline with a diameter of over 15 cm, allowing for the transport of more food.
Foreign experts were mobilized, including independent disaster investigator Arnold Dix, President of the International Society for Underground Space and Tunneling.
"We will find a solution and get them out... It is important that not only those who need to be rescued but also those who are carrying out the rescue work are safe," Dix said.
The collapsed tunnel was part of Prime Minister Modi's infrastructure project aimed at reducing travel time between some of the country's most famous Hindu sites, as well as improving access to strategic areas bordering China.
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