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41 Indian construction workers rescued from collapsed tunnel after 17 days

Associated Press
11 Dec, 2023

  • Men were evacuated through 57 metres of steel pipe on stretchers specially fitted with wheels

Forty-one construction workers were rescued on November 28 from a collapsed tunnel in northern India where they had been trapped for 17 days. Photo: EPA-EFE
Forty-one construction workers were rescued on November 28 from a collapsed tunnel in northern India where they had been trapped for 17 days. Photo: EPA-EFE
Why this news matters

Teamwork and courage can help us make it through difficult situations.

Why this news matters

Teamwork and courage can help us make it through difficult situations.

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Forty-one construction workers were rescued on November 28 from a collapsed tunnel in northern India where they had spent 17 days.

Government officials, locals and relatives erupted in joy as happy workers walked out after a brief check-up with doctors.

No one was seriously injured or killed when a landslide caused a section of the tunnel to collapse on November 12.

A general view shows the entrance of the under construction Silkyara tunnel in the Uttarkashi district of India’s Uttarakhand state where 17 construction workers were trapped. Photo: AFP
A general view shows the entrance of the under construction Silkyara tunnel in the Uttarkashi district of India’s Uttarakhand state where 17 construction workers were trapped. Photo: AFP

The workers had light in the collapsed tunnel, and they were provided with food, water and oxygen through pipes. More than a dozen doctors, including psychiatrists, were also at the site monitoring their health.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to some of the rescued workers on the phone. He said their courage was an inspiration to everyone.

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