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WorldDrilling continues to rescue Indian labourers stranded

Date:

Drilling continues to rescue Indian labourers stranded

Workers are drilling again near the tunnel entrance in the Uttarakhand state of India. 41 workers have been stuck there for 10 days.

Work stopped on Friday because rescuers heard a cracking sound while drilling.

Authorities say they have other plans to save the men, like drilling down from the top of the mountain, and they are going well.

The workers were digging a tunnel when part of it collapsed on 12 November because of a landslide.

The rescue team reached the trapped men and gave them oxygen, dry snacks, and water through a special pipe that was used for the tunnel construction.

On Monday, worried family members gathered around the tunnel felt a little better when a small camera was placed inside and showed footage of the workers. Authorities told them to show who they are on camera and promised that they would be saved soon.

The new pipe is bigger and officials say they can now provide more oxygen, food, and other important things like medicine, phones, and chargers.

On Tuesday, the workers received their first hot meal in 10 days. Rescuers put khichdi (a rice and lentil dish) in bottles and sent it to them.

Rescuers started drilling again near the entrance of the tunnel at 2:00 am local time on Wednesday. Officials told the BBC. They have dug a hole 39 meters (128 feet) into the rubble up to now.

So far, they have put in four 900mm wide pipes through the rubble. Now they are using 800mm wide pipes and a telescopic tunneling method to keep pushing through the debris.

The idea is to send different sized pipes through a 60m wall of debris to make a small tunnel for the workers to crawl through.

However, the rescue has been slowed down because the ground is not stable, there are big rocks, and debris is falling, which is causing delays and problems.

On Wednesday, officials said at a press briefing that rescuers found iron rods in the debris while drilling, but it didn’t cause any problems for the work.

Other plans are also moving forward – people are trying to reach the men through the other side of the tunnel.

On Wednesday, a leader said they built a track and moved equipment to start drilling straight down into the mountain.

Officials are sure they can rescue the men, but they don’t know how long it will take.

“We are trying everything we can and we will do it,” said Col Deepak Patil, who is in charge of the rescue mission, in an interview with the BBC earlier this week.

The person in charge said at a meeting on Wednesday that they want to tell us some good news either tonight or tomorrow. He also said that the doctors are at the place where the workers are trapped and talking to them.

The Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district is a part of a big project by the government to make it easier for people to travel to important religious places in Uttarakhand. The hilly state has lots of tall mountains and icy rivers. It’s where important places for Hindus can be found.

The area is not very strong against natural disasters like earthquakes and landslides.

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