Indian rescuers have freed 41 workers trapped in a trapped tunnel in the Himalayas for 17 days. Rescuers, using equipment and their own efforts, drilled through rocks and rubble, and now plan to free people one by one.
The release process will take several hours, with workers being wheeled out on wheeled stretchers through a 90cm-wide escape tube. Government agencies managing the operation have called on miners to manually drill rock and gravel from inside the tube.
Dozens of rescuers, equipped with ropes, ladders and stretchers, have already entered the tunnel, where 41 ambulances are waiting. Relatives of those blocked are also ready to meet their loved ones and have already created a tent city near the tunnel.
More than 10 doctors, including psychiatrists, monitor the health of the workers, exchanging verbal messages with them through the tube.
The tunnel, which is part of the $1.5 billion Char Dham highway project, was the site of the disaster. Authorities have not released the cause of the collapse, but the region is known for its propensity for landslides, earthquakes and floods.
