Air force helps to rescue people trapped in tunnels
For two weeks, India has been fearing for 41 construction workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel. Rescue teams have been desperately searching for solutions to reach them. They recently suffered a setback shortly before the breakthrough. Now they are receiving support from the Indian army.
After several setbacks in the rescue of construction workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel in India, the military has now flown in more special equipment. On Sunday, the Indian Air Force flew its third shipment to the remote mountainous region in northern India, where the 41 men have been trapped for two weeks. According to representatives of the rescue teams, the delivery of a superheated steam plasma cutter had been requested.
On Friday, the rescue teams once again encountered obstacles while drilling through the rubble of the collapsed tunnel: Just nine meters before breaking through to the trapped men, the huge special drill hit thick metal beams and buried construction vehicles. The plasma cutter will be used to remove the destroyed auger and the metal girders. Digging will then continue by hand.
On November 12, a road tunnel collapsed in the northern Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The 41 workers who have been trapped in the tunnel ever since are being supplied with oxygen, water, food and medicine through a 15-centimeter-thick pipe. After communicating via radio, the rescue teams have now been able to make contact with the trapped workers using an endoscope camera. On the video released by the authorities on Tuesday, the 41 men appeared exhausted and frightened, but healthy.
Attempts are also being made to gain access to the construction workers from two other locations: A heavy earth excavator on the wooded hill above the tunnel is to be used to drill a shaft almost 90 meters deep to the trapped men. However, the work above the heads of the 41 construction workers is complex and dangerous. Work has also begun on digging a new rescue shaft from the other end of the tunnel. At an estimated 480 meters, however, this route would be significantly longer than the other two options.
The international community has shown support for India during this crisis, with various countries offering aid and expertise. The advanced plasma cutter, requested by the rescue team, was flown in from Germany. The strategic location of the collapsed tunnel in the Himalayas, close to the border with Nepal, has further complicated the rescue efforts, requiring the construction of makeshift bridges and temporary tunnels to navigate the terrain.
Source: www.ntv.de
