Uttarkashi: Rescue workers, police gather at the site on Monday, hours after a tunnel collapsed in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand. Rescuers claim to have made contact with the workers trapped after the road tunnel they were building collapsed.—AFP
Uttarkashi: Rescue workers, police gather at the site on Monday, hours after a tunnel collapsed in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand. Rescuers claim to have made contact with the workers trapped after the road tunnel they were building collapsed.—AFP

LUCKNOW: At least 40 workers trapped inside a collapsed Indian highway tunnel will spend a second night there on Monday, pending arrival of rescue material, after being confined for over 38 hours in a cavernous space, officials said.

Rescuers were awaiting delivery of a wide steel pipe after midnight that would then be pushed into an opening of excavated debris to safely pull out the workers in about 24 hours, said Devendra Singh Patwal, a disaster management official.

“There is enough water while oxygen and food for instant energy like dry fruits are being supplied to them,” Patwal added. Local media cited another official as saying there was enough light in the space they are trapped.

The tunnel, which is 13 metres wide and 15 metres in height with the workers trapped in a two-kilometre space, was being built on a national highway that is part of a Hindu pilgrimage route, Patwal and state authorities said.

The workers are largely migrants from other Indian states and include two locals, authorities said.

“The relief forces are removing the debris and soon we will have all the labourers out,” police chief Ashok Kumar said.

Rescuers were communicating with workers thro­ugh walkie-talkies, Kumar said, adding that the exact cause of the accident was not known.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

System failure
Updated 12 Nov, 2024

System failure

Relevant institutions often treat right to internet connectivity with the same disdain as they do civil and political rights.
Narrowing the gap
12 Nov, 2024

Narrowing the gap

PERHAPS a pat on the back is in order for the ECP. Together with Nadra, it has made visible efforts to reduce...
Back on their feet
12 Nov, 2024

Back on their feet

A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia....
Time to deliver
Updated 11 Nov, 2024

Time to deliver

Pakistan must display a serious commitment to climate change adaptation and mitigation at home.
Smaller government
11 Nov, 2024

Smaller government

THE IMF bailout programme has put the government under pressure to curtail its spending, especially current...
Unsafe inheritance
11 Nov, 2024

Unsafe inheritance

DESPITE regulations, the troubling practice of robbing women of their rightful inheritance — the culprits are ...