Rescue workers struggle to free 40 workers trapped in collapsed tunnel

• A portion of a tunnel collapsed in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, trapping 40 workers for a week.
• Multiple attempts to drill through the rubble to reach the workers failed.
• Rescuers have been able to send radios, food, water and oxygen to workers through the pipes.

Rescuers who have been trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in northern India for more than a week are now changing tactics after three failed attempts to drill through the rubble.

On November 12, a portion of the tunnel collapsed following a landslide in Uttarakhand. Rescuers have been able to send radios, food, water and oxygen to workers through the pipes, the New York Times reported.

Rescuers have now tried three times to drill through the rubble and reach workers from different angles, but all have failed, the BBC reported on Sunday. Officials told reporters that the land around the tunnel is fragile and drilling could risk more debris falling.

“We have decided to adopt an on-again, off-again approach to maintain balance,” Anshu Manish Khalkho, director of the state-run highway management company, said on Friday, CNN reported. “It may look easy from the outside, but on site we have to consider the impact of drilling vibrations on the fragile terrain.”

Officials have now identified a spot directly above the tunnel where rescuers will try to drill through, with workers preparing a platform for a drill. Officials told reporters that the rescue could take another four to five days, according to the BBC.

A doctor at the scene, who has been talking to the trapped workers, said some of them were suffering from symptoms including headaches and vomiting.

“They were suffering from anxiety and gastritis. We sent medicines, dry fruits, chickpeas and popcorn,” Dr. BS Pokriyal told CNN. “They kept asking us to get them out as soon as possible, so I spent some time coaching and motivating them.”

Pokriyal added that the men had about 0.6 miles of room to move around inside the tunnel.

The landslides came as the trapped workers were building part of a national highway project aimed at facilitating pilgrimages to Uttarakhand’s main Hindu shrine.