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☆ ‘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

☆ 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

[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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Indian rescue effort for 41 trapped in tunnel breaks through steel obstacle
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An ambulance arrives at the tunnel where workers are trapped after the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 23, 2023. Once the drilling is completed, officials plan to send rescuers through the evacuation pipe with stretchers on wheels to bring out the trapped men, they said. Authorities have not said what caused the tunnel collapse, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods. Efforts to bring the men out have been slowed by snags in drilling in the mountainous terrain. The collapsed tunnel is located on the Char Dham pilgrimage route, one of the most ambitious projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

Persons: Shankar Prasad Nautiyal, Bhaskar Khulbe, Khulbe, Narendra Modi's Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, Wednesday, National Highways Authority, YP Rajesh, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ Indian rescuers hope to reach 41 trapped in tunnel on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SILKYARA, India, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Rescuers in India hope to finish drilling through debris on Thursday and free 41 men trapped in a highway tunnel in the Himalayan region after a metal obstacle slowed progress, officials said. The men began the twelfth day of their ordeal confined in the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on Nov. 12. Once the drill breaks through, officials said they plan to send rescuers through the evacuation pipe, using stretchers on wheels, to bring out the trapped men. [1/2]An ambulance arrives at the tunnel where workers are trapped after the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 23, 2023. REUTERS/Shankar Prasad Nautiyal Acquire Licensing RightsA rescue mission is currently underway at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand to free 41 workers who are stuck inside following a landslide.

Persons: Atul Karwal, Bhaskar Khulbe, Shankar Prasad Nautiyal, Pushkar Singh, Gabbar Singh Negi, Saba Ahmed, Narendra Modi's, YP Rajesh, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Authorities, Force, Rescuers, REUTERS, National Highways Authority, YP, Thomson Locations: SILKYARA, India, Uttarakhand, Uttarkashi, Pushkar

☆ Indian rescuers drill halfway towards workers trapped in tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Heavy machinery moves outside a tunnel where 40 road workers are trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Shankar Prasad Nautiyal/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSILKYARA, India, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Rescuers have drilled about halfway through fallen debris to reach 41 workers trapped for ten days inside a collapsed tunnel in the Indian Himalayas, an official said on Wednesday. First images emerged on Tuesday from within the tunnel, showing workers in white and yellow hardhats standing in the confined space and communicating with rescuers, after a medical endoscopy camera was pushed through a smaller pipeline. Authorities have not said what caused the tunnel collapse, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods. Reporting by Saurabh Sharma in Silkyara; Writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shankar Prasad, Deepak Patil, Saurabh Sharma, Shivam Patel, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ First images from Indian tunnel show workers trapped for nine days
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SILKYARA, India, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The first images emerged on Tuesday of 41 men trapped for more than a week in a highway tunnel in the Indian Himalayas, showing them standing in the confined space and communicating with rescue workers. Efforts to bring out the 41 men have been slowed by snags in drilling through the debris in the mountainous terrain. A rescue mission is currently underway at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand to free 41 workers who are stuck inside following a landslide. The trapped men are low-wage workers, most of them from poor states in India's north and east. "He said he is doing fine," Sunita Hembrom, the sister-in-law of one of the workers trapped in the tunnel, Surendra Kisko, told reporters after she spoke to him.

Persons: Saurabh Sharma, Abhishek Sharma, Sharma, Prem Pokhriyal, Sunita Hembrom, Surendra Kisko, YP Rajesh, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Authorities, YP, Thomson Locations: SILKYARA, India, Uttarakhand, Uttarkashi, India's

☆ Rescuers drill to send more food to trapped workers in Indian tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Rescuers move machines past a tunnel where workers are trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 19, 2023. REUTERS/Saurabh Sharma Acquire Licensing RightsSILKYARA, India, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Rescuers are trying to send cooked food and set up a phone connection to 41 workers trapped for eight days in a collapsed tunnel in the Indian Himalayas as they explore fresh rescue plans after previous attempts stalled, officials said on Monday. The men have been stuck in the highway tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on Nov. 12 and are safe, authorities said. They have access to light and supplies of oxygen, dry food, water and medicines are being sent via a pipe. "Our priority is to save 41 lives who are trapped inside the tunnel.

Persons: Saurabh Sharma, Bhaskar Khulbe, Nitin Gadkari, Gadkari, R.C.S, Panwar, Jasvant Kapoor, Shivam Patel, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Transport, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ Indian officials consider five new plans to rescue men trapped in tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Saurabh Sharma Acquire Licensing RightsSILKYARA, India, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Indian authorities were exploring five new plans to rescue workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in the Indian Himalayas after a week of failed attempts. Forty-one men, stuck in the highway tunnel in Uttarakhand state since Nov. 12, are safe and being fed through a pipe, the authorities say. Rescuers had been drilling horizontally through the debris toward the trapped workers in the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel until the auger drilling machine broke on Friday and a new one was flown in. A rescue mission is currently underway at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand to free 41 workers who are stuck inside following a landslide. The trapped workers have received Vitamin C and medicines including anti-depression tablets, said RCS Panwar, a health official involved in the rescue efforts.

Persons: Saurabh Sharma, Bhaskar Khulbe, Munsif Vengattil, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ Rescuers in India tunnel collapse begin replacing drilling machine on 7th day
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The disaster management office revised the number of people trapped since Sunday morning in the tunnel in Uttarakhand state to 41, up from 40. A rescue mission is currently underway at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand to free 41 workers who are stuck inside following a landslide. Authorities have not said what caused the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel to cave in, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods. Work was suspended on Friday after a "large-scale cracking sound" was heard as rescue workers sought to restart the drilling machine, according to a report from NHIDC. Close to 100 tunnel workers gathered at the site on Saturday, demanding faster progress in reaching and freeing those trapped.

Persons: Shankar Prasad Nautiyal, Anshu Malik Halko, Halko, Vishnu Sahu, Sahu, Saurabh Sharma, Ira Dugal, William Mallard, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Highways, Infrastructure Development Corporation, Reuters, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, Madhya Pradesh

☆ Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Rescuers use ‘pause-and-go’ drilling approach as efforts hit one-week mark
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Akanksha Sharma | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Rescue efforts in India have stretched into a seventh day as emergency response teams race to retrieve 40 construction workers trapped underground since Sunday. The workers became stranded when a highway tunnel they were building partially collapsed in the northern state of Uttarakhand. Rescue teams had been drilling non-stop to reach the stranded workers since acquiring a high-powered drilling machine on Thursday, but given the fragile mountain terrain, there were concerns of more debris falling and further complicating the rescue efforts. Rescuers had drilled around one-third of the way to the trapped workers on November 17. Reuters reported Saturday that the initial drilling machine broke on Friday and needed to be replaced.

Persons: “, Manish Khalkho, Khalkho, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Narendra Modi Organizations: CNN, Rescue, National Highways, Infrastructure Development Corporation, AFP, Reuters Locations: India, Uttarakhand, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

☆ Indian rescuers still 40 metres away from workers trapped in collapsed tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Police officers stand guard next to a barricade past the entrance of a tunnel where 40 road workers are trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 16, 2023. Acquire Licensing RightsSILKYARA, India, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Rescuers drilled about one-third of the way into the debris of a collapsed highway tunnel in India by Friday morning to reach 40 workers trapped inside for five days, officials said. Drilling had penetrated through about 21 metres (70 feet) of debris, Devendra Singh Patwal, a disaster management officer, told Reuters. Another officer with the rescue team inside the tunnel said the trapped men were doing fine. A rescue mission is currently underway at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand to free 40 workers who are stuck inside following a landslide.

Persons: Shankar Prasad Nautiyal, Devendra Singh Patwal, Narendra Modi's, Saurabh Sharma, Tanvi Mehta, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, Char

☆ Rescuers race to save 40 workers trapped in India tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Tamara Lindstrom | Lilian Manansala | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Falling debris and broken machines are stalling the rescue of 40 workers trapped for almost a week in a highway tunnel that partially collapsed on November 12 in Uttarkashi, India.

Locations: Uttarkashi, India

☆ Rescue hopes for men trapped in India tunnel rest on new drill equipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A crane moves past police officers and rescue team members outside a tunnel where 40 road workers are trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 15, 2023. Rescue efforts have been focused on drilling through the fallen rock to create space for a pipe that can be used to pull the men to safety. Work would begin shortly to cover the 60 metres distance to reach the men, said Devendra Singh Patwal, a state disaster management official. Since the tunnel collapsed, the trapped men have been supplied with food, water and oxygen via a pipe and they are in contact with rescuers via walkie-talkies. Authorities have not said what caused the tunnel to cave in but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.

Persons: Shankar Prasad Nautiyal, Ranjit Sinha, Devendra Singh Patwal, Narendra Modi's, Saurabh Sharma, Tanvi Mehta, Neil Fullick Organizations: REUTERS, Local, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, New Delhi, Char

☆ After Days Trapped in a Tunnel, Workers Wait for a Rescue’s Plan B
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Sameer Yasir | More About Sameer Yasir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Four days after 40 workers became trapped in a Himalayan road tunnel, the Indian authorities were still trying on Thursday to find a way through debris and rescue them, as anguished family members and colleagues protested outside to demand faster action. Communication was severed, leaving the men to wait inside, unsure of what would happen. In the hours afterward, officials established contact with the workers by sending radios through an undamaged pipe into the tunnel. The authorities have said the men are safe inside the tunnel. Officials put dozens of rescuers to work around the clock to remove debris using drilling equipment and excavators.

Persons: Arpan Yaduvanshi Locations: Uttarakhand, Uttarkashi District

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