Rescuers to excavate new tunnels to liberate stranded Indian labourers

Rescuers in India are trying to find new ways to save 41 workers who have been stuck in a tunnel for eight days.

After the work to push metal pipes through the debris was stopped and the rescue teams left because a cracking sound was heard from the tunnel, new plans had to be made.

Authorities want to dig two tunnels next to each other to make a way for the workers to escape.

The tunnel being built in Uttarakhand collapsed because of a landslide.

The event happened on the morning of 12 November in Uttarkashi district in the northern state. We talked to the men who were stuck and have been giving them air, food, and water ever since.

Uttarakhand Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Sinha said they are building two tunnels next to the main tunnel to help people escape.

Rescuers have been drilling from the entrance of the tunnel. They are trying to drill from the other side of the tunnel to reach the workers.

Nitin Gadkari, a government minister, went to the site on Sunday. He said that the rescue work might take two to three days.

He said working in the Himalayas was difficult, and they were using two drilling machines.

On Saturday, the families of the trapped workers got into a heated argument with the people in charge of the rescue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised the families that federal and state rescuers are working together to save the workers. “He said we need to keep the spirits of the workers who are stuck here high. ”

The Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi is a tunnel that is being built as part of a big government project to make the roads better between important religious places in Uttarakhand.

The state has lots of mountains and is home to holy places for Hindus.