Landslide hinders rescue work after tunnel collapse
Three days after the partial collapse of a tunnel shell in northern India, the rescue of the 40 or so people trapped inside is still ongoing. Most recently, the operation was hampered by another landslide on Wednesday night, as the local television station NDTV reported. Now, new equipment is being flown from the capital New Delhi to the disaster site in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand to rescue the people.
The emergency services are trying to drill 80 and 90 centimeter wide steel pipes through the rubble. These are intended to allow the workers to get outside. They are still doing well inside, they said. They are being supplied with food, water, oxygen and medication.
The accident occurred early on Sunday morning after a landslide. The tunnel, which is around 4.5 kilometers long, is being built near the small town of Uttarkashi in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand - a region with many Hindu temples that attracts many pilgrims. The collapsed section is located around 200 meters from the entrance to the freeway tunnel.
Despite the setbacks caused by multiple landslides, emergency services are persisting in their efforts to drill emergency exit tunnels after the tunnel accident. Construction of new equipment due to arrive from New Delhi aims to expedite the rescue process, given the potential for further accidents in the unstable mountainous terrain.
Source: www.dpa.com
