27 November 2023 , 22:37
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Attempts to reach 41 construction workers stuck in a collapsed tunnel in northern India should be "complete by Christmas", an expert hopes.
The workers have been trapped since November 12 when a landslide caused a portion of the 2.8-mile tunnel they were building in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand to collapse about 650 feet from the entrance. The mountainous terrain in the area has proven to be a challenge for the drilling machine which has broken twice as rescue teams desperately tried to dig horizontally toward the trapped workers.
Entrance of the under-construction Silkyara road tunnel during rescue efforts for trapped construction workers (AFP via Getty Images)Australian tunnelling expert Arnold Dix, who has been working with Indian officials, told the media he had "always promised that they will be home by Christmas." He said the priority is the safe return of these men and he is "confident they will be home for Christmas." However, another hurdle came along on Friday when the drilling machine broke down late while making its way through the rubble, stones and metal. The rescuers were forced to work by hand to remove debris in hopes of reaching the stranded workers, but the whole operation has now ground to a halt. Dix said the rescuers would need to pull out the entire drilling machine and replace it to restart the digging. He didn’t specify how much time it would take.
Media personnel gather near an entrance of the Silkyara under-construction road tunnel (AFP via Getty Images)Most of the trapped workers are migrant labourers from across the country. Many of their families have travelled to the location, where they have camped out for days to get updates on the rescue effort and in hopes of seeing their relatives soon. Military engineers now plan to use a so-called "rat-hole mining" technique, digging by hand to clear the rocks and rubble over the remaining depth as temperatures plummet in the remote mountain location. The men have been getting food, water, light, oxygen and medicines through a pipe, but the latest drilling problem is creating more anxiety for everyone involved.
The tunnel the workers were building was designed as part of the Chardham all-weather road, which will connect various Hindu pilgrimage sites. Some experts say the project, a flagship initiative of the federal government, will exacerbate fragile conditions in the upper Himalayas, where several towns are built atop landslide debris. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s principal secretary, or chief of staff, PK Mishra visited the site and spoke to the trapped men through a communication link. He told them that "everyone is making efforts to bring all of you out as early as possible."
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