India considers manual drilling to rescue 41 workers trapped in tunnel

A broken drilling machine has forced Indian rescuers to consider manual drilling to reach 41 workers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand state.

A drilling machine used to drill through 60 metres of rock in a tunnel in Uttarakhand state broke down when it was pulled out of a 47-metre-long pipe a day earlier, senior officials said today, leaving the machine unable to continue operating and delaying the rescue of 41 workers trapped underground.

"The rescue team will manually drill through the last 10 meters of rock and soil after the entire drilling machine is cut off and removed from the pipeline," the official said. Indian officials said the trapped workers were safe and had enough food, water, oxygen, medicine and light.

The area near the collapsed tunnel entrance in Uttarakhand state, India, on November 24. Photo: Reuters

Sunita Hembrom, a relative of a trapped person, said workers in the tunnel were "very worried".

More than 10 doctors, including psychologists, are at the scene to monitor the health of the 41 workers trapped in the tunnel. Those trapped are advised to practice yoga, walk the 2km tunnel and talk to each other.

41 workers have been trapped since a road tunnel under construction in the Himalayas in Uttarakhand collapsed on November 12. The 4.5-km tunnel, built between the cities of Silkyara and Dandalgaon, was intended to connect two of India's most sacred Hindu temples, Uttarkashi and Yamnotri.

Indian officials have not yet said what caused the tunnel to collapse, but the area is regularly affected by landslides, earthquakes and floods.

Efforts to rescue Indian workers trapped in collapsed tunnel. Graphics: Reuters

Rescuers are deploying five plans, developed by five agencies and carried out from three different directions. The rescue operation has encountered repeated setbacks. Rescuers had previously dug small pipes into the tunnel, providing oxygen, water and snacks to the workers.

Vu Anh (According to Reuters )

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