Rescuers on Tuesday continued battling to save 40 Indian construction workers who have been trapped inside part of a Himalayan highway tunnel that collapsed early Sunday.
The rescue team has been drilling a hole through debris in hopes to affix a wide steel pipe that can be used to pull the workers to safety.
Authorities have said the men, trapped men for some 60 hours, are safe and healthy, and have been given food, water and oxygen, and have been in regular contact with the rescue team.
The early Sunday collapse occurred with about 50-60 workers inside. Those who were near the exit were able to escape, with 40 remaining in the tunnel.
The workers are expected to be freed by Tuesday night or Wednesday according to senior government official Ranjit Sinha.
The 4.5-kilomenter tunnel, which had been under construction since 2018, is in Uttarakhand state, a mountainous region known for its many Hindu temples that attract pilgrims and visitors. The tunnel was a part of a new Char Dham Hindu pilgrimage route being built to connect the popular sights.
An ambitious government project, the improved highway route was expected to be completed in July 2022 at a cost of some $1.5 billion, although completion is now delayed until at least 2024.
The region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods and the incident follows events of land subsidence that geologists, residents and officials have blamed on rapid construction in the mountains.
Many have long protested the construction along the highway, pointing to safety concerns and effects on the environment.
The federal government has said it is using environmentally sound construction techniques to ensure the safety of geologically unstable stretches.
Some information in this report was taken from the Associated Press and Reuters
