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☆ Colossal, 50-foot prehistoric snake discovered in India
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A giant prehistoric snake longer than a school bus slithered around what is now India 47 million years ago, according to new research. A panoramic view of Panandhro Lignite Mine, in western India's Gujarat state, shows the fossiliferous level (red arrow) where the giant snake Vasuki indicus was found. However, the snake would have rivaled the largest known snake species — the extinct Titanoboa — in size. Snake size and the role of climateSnakes are cold-blooded and need heat from the environment to survive. Datta and Bajpai said the snake lived in a coastal marsh and swamp.

Persons: dwarfing, indicus, Shiva, Debajit Datta, Sunil Bajpai, ”, Datta, Verma Debajit, Bajpai, Titanoboa, Vasuki Organizations: CNN, Indian Institute of Technology Locations: India, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India’s Gujarat, India's Gujarat, Colombia

CNN —India has announced rules that would allow it to implement a controversial citizenship bill that excludes Muslims. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act provides a fast-track to citizenship for immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan – provided they are not Muslim. The controversial law would apply to religious minorities persecuted on religious grounds, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians. Members of the United Opposition Forum protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Nagaon District, Assam, India, on March 8, 2024. The BJP has its roots in India’s Hindu right-wing movement, many followers of which see India as a Hindu nation.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Pakistan –, Modi, Amit Shah, “, Anuwar Organizations: CNN, Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, Indian, United Opposition, Getty, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP Locations: India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nagaon District, Assam, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Ayodhya

☆ Twin mosque demolitions in India underscore deep religious polarization months before nationwide election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Rhea Mogul | Aishwarya S Iyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The demolitions drew incensed residents onto the streets and at least six people have been killed in clashes with police. The image of India that Modi wants to project is one of a confident, vibrant, and modern superpower. In India, a country of diverse faiths, religious groups follow their own laws for matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance. Mohammad Zakir Hussain has said he barely slept since the demolition of his mosque, the madrasa, and his home in India’s capital Delhi. “(The government) rationalizes everything by blaming Mughal emperors,” he said, referring to India’s ancient Islamic rulers.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Ram, ”, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, Imtiyaz Khan, Asaduddin, “, Mukhopadhyay, Mohammed Zakir Hussain, Mohammad Zakir Hussain, Aishwarya Iyer, Sanjay Katyal, Rana Safvi, ” Safvi, ” Mohammad Aman, Mohammad Arif, what’s, Mohammad Aman Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, CNN, Authorities, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian, Anadolu, Getty, Amnesty International, Delhi Development Authority, –, Court Locations: New Delhi, India, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, Haldwani, AFP, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India’s, Jammu, Kashmir, BJP, Delhi’s Mehrauli, Akhondji

☆ Indian State's Polygamy Ban Divides Some Muslim Women
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

For others like Jafar, Muslim politicians and Islamic scholars, it is an unwelcome stunt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party. A 2013 survey found 91.7% of Muslim women nationwide saying a Muslim man should not be allowed to have another wife while married to the first. The Supreme Court in 2017 found the Islamic instant divorce unconstitutional, but the order did not ban polygamy or some other practices that critics say violate equal rights for women. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board called the code impractical and a direct threat to a multi-religious Indian society. "Banning polygamy makes little sense because data shows very few Muslim men have more than one wife in India," said board official S.Q.R.

Persons: Bano, Sadaf Jafar, Jafar, Narendra Modi's, Modi's, Ilyas, Rupam Jain, William Mallard Organizations: DELHI, Reuters, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, SOCIETY BJP, Islam Locations: Islam, Uttarakhand, India's, India, Uttar Pradesh

☆ Violent Protests in Indian City Kills Two, More Than 80 Injured
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two people were killed and more than 80 injured in violent protests in India's northern city of Haldwani following a government demolition drive against what it calls illegal encroachments, officials said on Friday. "I can confirm two have lost their lives and three people are serious (injured)," said senior police official Prahlad Narayan Meena. "Over 80 suffered injuries due to stone pelting, including some police and reporters." He said locals of the area, including Muslim clerics, should have been taken into confidence before starting the drive. "Every rioter who indulged in arson and stone pelting is being identified.

Persons: Prahlad Narayan Meena, Sumit, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Saurabh Sharma, Rupam Jain, Michael Perry Organizations: Police Locations: DELHI, India's, Haldwani, Uttarakhand, Nainital, New Delhi

☆ Modi's Party Set to Bring Contentious Common Civil Laws in India Through States
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Framing a national common law has been one of the three core, decades-old promises of Modi's Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). The northern state of Uttarakhand, nestled in the Himalayan foothills, is expected to unveil a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill next week, officials said. A committee set up in Uttarakhand in 2022 to draft the code will submit its work to the state government on Friday. "Several state governments across India are looking at whether a uniform civil code could be implemented," Nalin Kohli, a national BJP spokesperson said. Personal laws can be legislated by both federal and state governments, and other BJP-ruled states have said they could use the Uttarakhand UCC draft as a template.

Persons: Krishn Kaushik, Rupam Jain, Saurabh Sharma, Narendra Modi's, Modi's, Asaduddin Owaisi, Nalin Kohli, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Ram, Biswa Sarma, Keshav Prasad Maurya, Sumit Khanna, Jatindra, Lincoln Organizations: Saurabh Sharma NEW DELHI, Janta Party, BJP, UCC, Kashmir, Uttarakhand UCC, Reuters Locations: Indian, Jammu, Kashmir, Uttarakhand, India, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar

But as with many popular winter ski destinations right now, this resort town in Indian-administered Kashmir is facing a snow shortage due to unseasonably dry weather, disappointing both travelers and tourism operators. Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty ImagesDespite the lack of snow, a staff member of the Gulmarg Ski Resort reached by phone who did not wish to be named told CNN Travel their hotels have been experiencing very high occupancy rates in recent days. This is definitely affecting the tourism sector.”Tourists learn to ski on a gentle Gulmarg slope in February 2021. “What would they do here without the snow?”‘The demand is still there’Tourists visit the Gulmarg Ski Resort on January 10, 2024. So the loss of snow (will also be) compensated.”Yaqoob notes that the snowfall season in Gulmarg is traditionally from November to February-March.

Persons: Tauseef Mustafa, Asif Ahmad Bhat, “, ”, ’ Bhat, Sahil Ahmed Lone, Yawar Nazir, he’s, Lone, they’ve, Nasir Kachroo, Gulmarg –, Raja, it’s Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, ”, El Nino Locations: Gulmarg, Indian, Kashmir, Srinagar, India, Pakistan, AFP, “, Leh, Ladakh, Uttarakhand

☆ ‘No one will remember us’: India’s hero ‘rat hole miners’ who helped rescue 41 men from the Himalayan tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-06 | by ( Aishwarya Iyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“Rat hole mining may be illegal,” Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain, a retired official from India’s National Disaster Management Authority told reporters shortly after the rescue. “But a rat miner’s talent and experience is not.”Bottom of the hierarchyWorkers employed in the dangerous profession are among the most vulnerable and marginalized in India, hence the unflattering local moniker. But some of the “rat miners” said they are still waiting for details of the compensation. Conspicuously missing were the names of the 12 “rat miners” who put their lives on the line to complete that final breakthrough. Two “rat miners” went in at a time on rotating four-hour shifts, with one cutting the stone and the other pulling the debris out of the pipe.

Persons: New Delhi CNN —, Munna Qureshi, “, ” Qureshi, Qureshi, General Syed Ata Hasnain, Slimly, Hasina Kharbhih, ”, Roberto Schmidt, ” Kharbhih, Nasir Khan, B.P, Katoki, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Mohammad Irshad Ansari, Monu Kumar, crouch, Khan, Kumar, Sajjad Hussain, Ansari, ” Kumar Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Engineers, National Disaster Management Authority, Workers, National Green Tribunal, AFP, Getty, CNN, ” Locations: New Delhi, Uttarakhand, India, Meghalaya, Rimbay, Uttarkashi, Uttar Pradesh, AFP

☆ Workers rescued from collapsed Indian tunnel are well, set to return home
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Minister of the northern state of Uttarakhand, greets a worker after he was rescued from the collapsed tunnel site in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, November 28, 2023. The men, all construction workers hailing from some of India's poorest states, were trapped in the under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand state for 17 days before they were pulled out on Tuesday. The hospital is coordinating with officials from their home states to facilitate their return, they said. The tunnel is part of the $1.5 billion Char Dham highway, one of the government's most ambitious projects, which seeks to connect four Hindu pilgrimage sites. Authorities have not said what caused the tunnel to collapse but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.

Persons: Pushkar Singh Dhami, Narendra Kumar, Sakshi Dayal, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Pushkar, Uttarakhand, Uttarkashi, India, DELHI, Rishikesh, Jharkhand, Odisha

☆ 'Like brothers': rescued Indian tunnel workers stayed hopeful through ordeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

One of the trapped workers is checked out after he was rescued from the collapsed tunnel site in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 28, 2023. They went for daily walks and did yoga in the 2-km (1-mile) stretch of the highway tunnel in which they were trapped. But many said knowing they were not forgotten, and would be soon pulled out, was what really kept them hopeful and strong. A rescue mission is currently underway at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand to free 41 workers who are stuck inside following a landslide. "We lived like brothers," Saba Ahmed, a worker of the private firm contracted to build the tunnel, told Modi.

Persons: Doctors, Birendra Kishku, Subodh Kumar Verma, Narendra Modi, Saba Ahmed, Modi, Sukanti Nayak, Raju, consoling, Jatindra, YP Rajesh, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Authorities, YP, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, Rishikesh, Sukanti, Bhubaneswar

☆ Rescuers Free Workers Trapped in Mountain Tunnel in India for More Than Two Weeks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Krishna Pokharel | Tripti Lahiri | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A rescue team on Tuesday reached 41 construction workers sealed inside a mountain tunnel in northern India by a landslide for more than two weeks. Photo: Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty ImagesRescuers freed the 41 construction workers sealed inside a mountain tunnel in northern India by a landslide for over two weeks on Tuesday, after an arduous effort to break through a wall of about 200 feet of debris. Thousands of people, including rescue workers, family members, journalists and officials gathered at the site of the rescue in India’s mountainous Uttarakhand state to watch the final stage of the rescue. Hundreds of miles away in the villages of eastern India, where many of the men are from, and around the country, people have watched the televised blow-by-blow progress of the rescue since it began on Nov. 12.

Persons: Sajjad Hussain Organizations: Tuesday Locations: India, AFP, Uttarakhand

☆ After 16 Days, Rescue Near for Workers Stuck in Tunnel, Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Mujib Mashal | Suhasini Raj | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After a 16-day effort to free dozens of Indian construction workers trapped inside a Himalayan road tunnel, rescuers were finally preparing to pull the men out on Tuesday as diggers labored to clear a final stretch of debris by hand, the authorities said. The rescue operation had hit repeated roadblocks, with officials ultimately trying multiple ways to reach the 41 stranded men. But a breakthrough came on Tuesday afternoon, as trained miners using hand tools made rapid progress after picking up at the point where a drilling machine had failed. “The work of putting in the pipe to rescue the workers has been completed,” Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of the northern state of Uttarakhand, the site of the tunnel, said in a brief statement on social media. “Soon, all the worker brothers will be taken out.”Syed Ata Hasnain, a member of India’s National Disaster Management Authority, gave a less definitive assessment and said that about two meters, or six feet, of drilling remained.

Persons: Pushkar Singh, ” Syed Ata Hasnain Organizations: Disaster Management Authority Locations: Uttarakhand

[1/4] Ambulances move inside a tunnel where rescue operations are underway to rescue trapped workers, after the tunnel collapsed, in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 28, 2023. While augur machines managed to horizontally drill through nearly three-quarters of the debris, it fell on half a dozen miners adept at burrowing in tight spaces to reach the trapped workers on Tuesday. Some of the miners involved in the rescue operation said they were not involved in coal mining and got their training in Delhi. The pits are sized just enough for the workers, often children, to descend using ropes or ladders to extract coal - often without safety measures and proper ventilation. The practice became illegal in the 1970s, when India nationalised coal mines and gave state-run Coal India a monopoly.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Qureshi, Nasir Hussain, Saurabh Sharma, Shivam Patel, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rescuers, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, Meghalaya, Delhi, Silkyara, New Delhi

☆ Indian rescuers say very close to reaching 41 men trapped in tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rescue operations continue as evening approaches, where workers got trapped in a tunnel construction collapse in Uttarkashi, northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 27, 2023. The men, low-wage workers from India's poorest states, have been stuck in the 4.5 km (3 miles) tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it collapsed on Nov. 12. "Sure, 100%," he said when asked if the men could be reached on Tuesday. Rescuers on Monday brought in the "rat miners", experts at a primitive, hazardous and controversial method used mostly to get at coal deposits through narrow passages. Authorities have not said what caused the cave-in but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Deepak Patil, Narendra Modi's Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, YP Rajesh, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ Indian rescuers break through debris to reach 41 men trapped in tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Indian military engineers on November 27 were preparing to dig by hand to reach 41 workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel for 15 days, a rescue operation hit by repeated setbacks. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)Indian rescuers led by "rat miners" drilled through rocks and debris on Tuesday to reach 41 construction workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in the Himalayas for 17 days. Dozens of rescue workers with ropes, ladders, and stretchers entered the tunnel and 41 ambulances were lined up outside to take the 41 men to a hospital about 30 km away. Some rescue workers in hard-hats made victory signs and posed for pictures. Relatives of the trapped men, who have been camping near the site, gathered outside the tunnel with luggage, ready to accompany the men to hospital.

Persons: Sajjad HUSSAIN, SAJJAD HUSSAIN, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Baba, Nag Ji, stretchers, Chaudhary, Manjeet Chaudhary Organizations: Getty Images Locations: Uttarkashi, India's Uttarakhand, AFP, Uttarakhand, India

☆ India tunnel collapse: Rescuers begin risky vertical drilling after bid to free trapped Himalayan tunnel workers falters
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

India airlifted a high-powered drilling machine to assist in the rescue of dozens of road workers trapped underground. “The vertical drilling will disturb the rock formation and will cause vibrations to the mountain,” said Sundriyal, who is considered an expert in local rock formations. “However, it is difficult to say which one of the two methods would help us reach the trapped workers first,” he told reporters Monday. But for most of the families of the trapped men, the wait has been an agonizing switch between hope and despair. One of the trapped workers can be seen on camera.

Persons: Mahmood Ahmed, Yaspal, ”, Sundriyal, Harpal Singh, Mahi Shah, Sonu, Shah, ” Shah, ” Krishna Chauhan, Manjeet, Chauhan, ” Chauhan, Narendra Modi’s Char, Anrold Dix, ” Dix, “ Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Engineers, Authorities, India’s Ministry of, Highways, Garhwal, CNN, Roads Organization, Indian, Ministry of Environment, “ Locations: New Delhi, India’s, Uttarakhand, India, Garhwal University, Uttarakhand Government, Bihar, Mumbai, Mizoram, Morbi, Gujarat, Australian

☆ India tunnel workers could face PTSD after rescue from ordeal - doctor
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Shivam Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A concrete block is carried into the tunnel where rescue operations are underway to rescue trapped workers, after a tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 28, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The 41 Indian construction workers trapped in a collapsed highway tunnel for 17 days will need long-term support after their rescue, including monitoring for post-traumatic stress disorder, officials said on Tuesday. Rescuers drilled through rocks and debris to finally reach the men on Tuesday in the Himalayan tunnel where they have been trapped since it collapsed on Nov. 12. Ambulances were waiting at the mouth of the tunnel on Tuesday afternoon to take the men to hospital and R.C.S. "All 41 would experience some post traumatic symptoms like insomnia, recurrent bad dreams, recurrent reliving of the tunnel collapse, anxiety," he said.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Dinakaran D, Dinakaran, Shivam Patel, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, National, of Mental Health, Neurosciences, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, DELHI, Uttarkashi district, New Delhi

“We don’t know what the drilling machine will have to cut through. They could also face similar risks or problems they encountered earlier that damaged the first drilling machine attempting to cut through rocks. Most of the trapped workers are migrant laborers from across the country. Authorities have supplied the trapped workers with hot meals through a six-inch (15-centimeter) pipe after days of surviving only on dry food sent through a narrower pipe. The tunnel the workers were building was designed as part of the Chardham all-weather road, which will connect various Hindu pilgrimage sites.

Persons: Devendra Patwal, ”, Arnold Dix Organizations: DELHI, —, Authorities Locations: India, Uttarakhand, Uttarakhand’s

☆ After machines fail, 'rat miners' to help rescue 41 men stuck in Indian tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SILKYARA, India, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Rescuers on Monday brought in "rat miners" to drill through a narrow pipe and help pull out 41 construction workers trapped in a tunnel in the Indian Himalayas for more than two weeks after high-powered machines failed, officials said. The men, low-wage workers from India's poorest states, have been stuck in the 4.5km (3 miles) tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it collapsed on Nov. 12. The men have been getting food, water, light, oxygen and medicines through a pipe but efforts to dig a tunnel have run into a series of snags with machines. "Rat mining" is a primitive, hazardous and controversial method used in India mostly to remove coal deposits through narrow passages. Mishra visited the site and spoke to the trapped men through a communication link.

Persons: Rakesh Rajput, Francis Mascarenhas, Harpal Singh, Mahmood Ahmad, Narendra Modi's, P.K, Mishra, Sakshi Dayal, YP Rajesh, Ed Osmond Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Government, Organisation, Authorities, YP, Thomson Locations: SILKYARA, India, Uttarakhand, Uttarkashi, Char, New Delhi

☆ Indian rescuers, two weeks after tunnel collapse, try new tack to reach 41 workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Heavy machinery is used amid rescue operations after workers got trapped in a collapse of an under-construction tunnel, in Uttarkashi, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 26, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Acquire Licensing RightsSILKYARA, India, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Indian rescuers began drilling vertically on Sunday from the top of a mountain under which 41 workers became trapped two weeks ago while working on a highway tunnel in the Himalayas, government officials said. The men, construction workers from some of India's poorest states, have been stuck in the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel being built in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on Nov. 12. But rescuing them will take much longer than previously hoped as rescuers have switched to manual drilling following damage to the drilling machine, officials said on Saturday. Initially, the rescue plan involved pushing a pipe wide enough to pull the trapped men out on wheeled stretchers.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Deepak Patil, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Mayank Bhardwaj, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, Rescuers, Reuters, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ Indian tunnel rescue set to take much longer after drill damaged
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Pushkar Singh Dhami, chief minister of Uttarakhand state said on Saturday the damaged drilling machine would be taken out by Sunday morning, allowing manual drilling to start. On Saturday morning the trapped workers, all migrants, were "very worried", said Sunita Hembrom, whose brother-in-law Birendra Kishku, 39, is in the tunnel. A rescue mission is currently underway at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand to free 41 workers who are stuck inside following a landslide. The rescue plan involves pushing a pipe wide enough to pull the trapped men out on wheeled stretchers. Rescue workers rehearsed the evacuation by going into the pipe and being pulled out on stretchers, a video clip provided by the authorities showed.

Persons: Shankar Prasad Nautiyal, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Syed Ata Hasnain, Sunita Hembrom, Birendra Kishku, Rohit Gondwal, Narendra Modi's, Saurabh Sharma, Krishn Kauhsik, Jacqueline Wong, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, National Disaster Management Authority, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ Manual drilling likely in last stretch to rescue 41 trapped workers in Indian tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The machine broke at a joint and some parts are being cut so it can be pulled from the tunnel. Sunita Hembrom, who spoke to her trapped brother-in-law Birendra Kishku, 39, said that "everyone trapped inside is very worried". A rescue mission is currently underway at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand to free 41 workers who are stuck inside following a landslide. The rescue plan involves pushing a pipe wide enough to pull the trapped men out on wheeled stretchers. Rescue workers rehearsed the evacuation by going into the pipe and being pulled out on stretchers, a video clip provided by the authorities showed.

Persons: Stringer, Sunita Hembrom, Birendra Kishku, Rohit Gondwal, Narendra Modi's, Saurabh Sharma, Krishn Kauhsik, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ Manual Drilling Likely in Last Stretch to Rescue 41 Trapped Workers in Indian Tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Saurabh SharmaSILKYARA, India (Reuters) - Efforts to rescue 41 workers trapped in a highway tunnel in the Indian Himalayas for two weeks will be further slowed as rescuers are considering drilling through the last 10 meters of debris manually, an official said on Saturday. The machine broke at a joint and some parts are being cut so it can be pulled from the tunnel. Sunita Hembrom, who spoke to her trapped brother-in-law Birendra Kishku, 39, said that "everyone trapped inside is very worried". The rescue plan involves pushing a pipe wide enough to pull the trapped men out on wheeled stretchers. Rescue workers rehearsed the evacuation by going into the pipe and being pulled out on stretchers, a video clip provided by the authorities showed.

Persons: Saurabh Sharma SILKYARA, Sunita Hembrom, Birendra Kishku, Rohit Gondwal, Narendra Modi's, Saurabh Sharma, Krishn Kauhsik, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Authorities, Reuters Locations: India, Uttarakhand

☆ Drilling snag delays rescue of 41 men stuck in Indian tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hindu priests pray at a makeshift shrine outside the entrance of a tunnel where workers are trapped after the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 23, 2023. The men, low-wage construction workers, have been confined in the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on Nov. 12. Attempts to pull them out by drilling through the debris of rock, stones and metal and pushing through an evacuation pipe have been slowed by snags. The collapsed tunnel is on the Char Dham pilgrimage route, one of the most ambitious projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. It aims to link four key Hindu pilgrimage sites with 890 km (550 miles) of two-lane road, at a cost of $1.5 billion.

Persons: Shankar Prasad Nautiyal, Rescuers, Deepak Patil, Narendra Modi's, YP Rajesh, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, snags, Reuters, National Highways Authority, YP, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ Collapsed Indian tunnel had no safety exit, was built through geological fault - panel member
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Rahul Grover Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 24 (Reuters) - A tunnel which collapsed, trapping 41 workers in the Indian Himalayas this month, did not have an emergency exit and was built through a geological fault, a member of a panel of experts investigating the disaster said on Friday. Rescuers are still struggling to reach the construction workers 12 days after the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel caved in. Preliminary findings indicated the collapse may have been caused by a geological fault, known as a "shear zone", a member of the panel told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to talk to the media. "Once the rescue operations are over, we will conduct detailed investigations to find out loopholes in the construction," the panel member said. The tunnel was being built by the state-run National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation which is under India's Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Persons: Rahul Grover, Vishal Chauhan, Narendra Modi's, Hemant Dhyani, Manoj Kumar, YP Rajesh, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Media, REUTERS, Highways, Infrastructure Development Corporation, India's Ministry of Road Transport, National Highways Authority of India, Supreme, Reuters, YP, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, DELHI

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