Indian rescuers still 40 meters away from workers trapped in tunnel

Police officers stand guard next to a barricade past the tunnel entrance where 40 road workers are trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Shankar Prasad Nautiyal NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

SILKYARA, India — Rescuers drilled about one-third of the way into the debris of a collapsed highway tunnel in India by Friday morning to reach 40 workers trapped inside for five days, officials said.

Drilling had penetrated through about 21 meters (70 feet) of debris, Devendra Singh Patwal, a disaster management officer, told Reuters.

They have to cover a total distance of nearly 60 meters.

READ: Rescuers dig to reach 40 workers trapped in collapsed tunnel in India

Another officer with the rescue team inside the tunnel said the trapped men were doing fine.

The workers have been supplied with food, water, and oxygen through a pipe and authorities have been in contact with them via walkie-talkies.

READ: Over 30 workers trapped after portion of tunnel under construction collapses in India

The 4.5 km (3 mile) tunnel in the northern state of Uttarakhand 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 tunnel to cave in on Sunday morning, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes, and floods.