Tunnel drama: rescue work progressing slowly
In India, work to rescue the 41 workers from a partially collapsed highway tunnel is progressing slowly. Ambulances are waiting outside the scene of the accident, as footage from the local television station NDTV showed. The men have been trapped for twelve days. According to the authorities, the rescuers suffered repeated setbacks in their attempts to get through to the trapped men with a large drilling machine.
The 4.5-kilometer-long freeway tunnel partially collapsed on 12 November after a landslide. After the incident, debris blocked the workers' path back to daylight. The site of the accident is near the small town of Uttarkashi in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand - a region with many Hindu temples that attracts pilgrims. The tunnel was intended to improve the connections there.
The authorities initially promised a quick rescue, but this was then delayed further and further. On Wednesday, the rescuers seemed to be making rapid progress with a powerful drilling machine, but then they came across metal rods, among other things. The idea is to push tubes into the rubble through which the men can get out. In the meantime, they will be supplied with oxygen, water, food and medication via narrower tubes.
Source: www.dpa.com
