Rescuers scramble to rescue 40 workers trapped in an India tunnel after the Uttarakhand tunnel collapses

 Rescuers scramble to rescue 40 workers trapped in an India tunnel after the Uttarakhand tunnel collapses

Since Sunday am, 40 workmen have been trapped within a collapsed tunnel in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, and rescuers are working quickly to free them.

A portion of the tunnel collapsed owing to a landslide, trapping the workers who were constructing it.

The guys who are stuck have been able to get in touch with officials, who are giving them food, water, and oxygen.

They declare that they want to get the staff back by Wednesday or Tuesday night.

Part of the federal government's massive highway project to provide connection to well-known pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand is the tunnel located in the Uttarkashi district. Some of the holiest places for Hindus are found in the mountainous state, which is home to multiple Himalayan peaks and glaciers.

Senior police officer Arpan Yaduvanshi told BBC Hindi that the disaster happened on Sunday at 5:00 local time (23:30 GMT) when a section of the Silkyara tunnel fell while the workmen were inside, just 200 meters from the tunnel's mouth.

The tunnel collapsed as a result of heavy material falling on it from a nearby landslide. The workers' oxygen supply was cut off by the debris heaps.

Using walkie-talkies, the authorities claimed they were able to get in touch with the guys who were stuck on Sunday night.

They said that oxygen, food, and water are now being sent to the stranded guys via a pipeline that was installed to provide water to the tunnel for building purposes.

Several meters of rubble must be dug out by rescuers before the evacuations can begin. To dig through the rubble, large machinery such as excavators are used.

In order to reach the workers, rescue crews were "preparing to drill and introduce a metal pipe of 900mm diameter in the region of the tunnel blocked by debris," according to a statement released by the state administration on Tuesday morning.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of the state, said that state and federal disaster relief personnel were collaborating on rescue operations.

According to a statement from his office, "all the workers trapped underneath the tunnel are safe and every effort is being undertaken to get them out soon."