At least forty workers were trapped this Sunday when a road tunnel under construction collapsed in northern India, an emergency services official announced.
“About 200 meters of the tunnel collapsed,” Durgesh Rathodi, a rescuer, told French news agency France-Presse from the site in Uttarakhand state.
“Inside, 40 or 41 workers are still trapped. Oxygen is being supplied through the debris, but more debris is falling as rescuers try to clear the obstruction,” he added.
The collapse occurred early Sunday morning, in the Himalayan region, when a group of workers left the shipyard and replacement equipment arrived.
A 4.5 kilometer long tunnel is being constructed between Silkyara and Dandalgaon to connect the two important Hindu shrines of Uttarkashi and Yamnotri.
Photos released by rescue teams show huge blocks of concrete blocking the tunnel, with twisted metal bars on the roof protruding from the rubble.
“Let us pray to God that the workers trapped in the tunnel come out safely,” wrote Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Source: TSF
