Rescuers trying to reach 40 workers trapped in a collapsed highway tunnel in the Indian Himalayas since last weekend suspended work temporarily on Friday, after hearing a sudden "cracking sound" and the drilling machine developed a snag.
The men have been stuck in the hillside tunnel in Uttarakhand state since Sunday morning after it caved in, but authorities said they are safe. The trapped workers have light and receive oxygen, food, water and medicines via a pipe, and can communicate via walkie-talkie. Their families have been waiting anxiously, some camped outside.
"At present, we have reached 24 metres inside the tunnel which — great, according to me — is a good situation. And we are trying to reach the other end as soon as possible. Like I said yesterday, if the present machinery becomes redundant, another machine from Indore (city) will get airlifted," Director of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. Anshu Manish Khalkho said.
The 4.5 kilometre tunnel is part of the Char Dham highway, one of the most ambitious projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Authorities have not said what caused the cave in, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.
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