Up to 40 tunnel workers are trapped following a collapse at 4am-5am on Sunday morning some 200m+ in from the portal of a 4.5km long road tunnel in the northern Himalayan State of Uttarakhand. According to reports from AP, all of the workers are safe and are being supplied with oxygen and water whilst rescue efforts continue.
The number of workers trapped in the 13m diameter tunnel, believed to be the Silkyara Bend-Barkot Tunnel was confirmed by the Navyug Construction Company, responsible for the delivery of the project. The Indian Express reported that District Disaster Management Officer Devendra Patwal had said the trapped workers were not ‘crammed in’ but had some 400m of completed tunnel to move around in.
Up to 160 rescue workers from The National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) and the local police are using drills and excavators to reach the trapped workers. As of Monday morning, The Guardian Newspaper has reported that over 20m of collapsed material had been removed, and some further 35m of rubble stood between rescuers and the trapped workers.
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