41 workers remain trapped in India tunnel for seventh day as drilling rescue hits snags

The nature of the exceptionally hard rock formation in the area coupled with the clearing of debris damaged the original machine and paused rescue efforts on Friday, according to officials. This added a new challenge to the long-drawn rescue efforts.

The number of trapped workers was also revised to 41 from 40, said Anshu Manish, a director at the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, one of the agencies overseeing the rescue. He said the construction company building the tunnel, Navayuga Engineering Company, came to know about this discrepancy on Friday.

Authorities began drilling into the rubble and debris on Thursday and have so far covered a stretch of 24 metres (79 feet), said Devendra Patwal, a disaster management official. It may require up to 60 metres of drilling to enable the trapped workers’ escape, Patwal said.

On Saturday, a team of experts held a meeting to also discuss other potential methods to rescue the trapped workers amid concerns that the drilling machine’s high-intensity vibrations could cause more debris to fall and hinder efforts.

Earlier, rescuers had hoped to complete the drilling by Friday night and create an escape tunnel of pipes welded together. But rescue efforts hit a snag after a loud cracking sound came from within the tunnel, startling those overseeing the operation, who paused the drilling after they found parts of the machine damaged, Tarun Kumar Baidya, director at NHIDCL, said from the site.

As the rescue operation stretched into its seventh day, families of those trapped were frustrated and angry. Relatives from various states have spent nights near the tunnel, seeking updates. The recent setback has only exacerbated their worries.

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Rescue efforts intensify to free 40 Indian workers trapped for days in collapsed tunnel

Rescue efforts intensify to free 40 Indian workers trapped for days in collapsed tunnel