Rescue operation for 41 workers trapped in a tunnel in India is imminent; final stretch of digging is underway
The potential rescue of 41 construction workers from a collapsed highway tunnel in northern India may occur later on Thursday after nearly two weeks of excavation and delays.
The final stretch of drilling resumed after a six-hour delay caused by damage to the blades on the drilling machine from a metal object in the debris.
Atul Karwal, chief of the state-run National Disaster Response Force, stated, "The machine has started operating again in full swing. So we are hopeful that it will finish early." He added, "We should be able to rescue them today."
It took six hours to remove the metal pipes obstructing the drilling. Once the drilling reaches the required depth, rescuers can insert and weld together pipes, providing a route to freedom for the trapped workers.
The workers have been trapped since Nov. 12, following a landslide that caused a section of the 4.5-kilometer tunnel they were constructing to collapse about 200 meters from the entrance.
The challenging mountainous terrain and machine-related problems have posed difficulties for the rescue operation, but authorities remain optimistic about completing the rescue.
