Monday, November 13, 2023

UPDATED
Trapped Indian workers to spend second night in collapsed tunnel

Updated Mon, November 13, 2023

Trapped Indian workers to spend second night in collapsed tunnel

By Saurabh Sharma

LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) -At least 40 Indian workers trapped inside a collapsed Himalayan highway tunnel will spend a second night there on Monday, pending arrival of rescue material, after being confined for over 38 hours in a cavernous space, officials said.

Excavators have been removing debris to carve out a path to reach the workers while contact has been established with them and oxygen and food are being supplied through compression pipelines, rescue workers and police in Uttarakhand state said.

The region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods and the incident follows events of land subsidence in the state that geologists, residents and officials have blamed on rapid construction in the mountains.

Rescuers were awaiting delivery of a wide steel pipe after midnight that would then be pushed into an opening of excavated debris to safely pull out the workers in about 24 hours, said Devendra Singh Patwal, a disaster management official.

"There is enough water while oxygen and food for instant energy like dry fruits are being supplied to them," Patwal added. Local media cited another official as saying there was enough light in the space they are trapped.

The tunnel, which is 13 metres wide (43 feet) and 15 metres (50 feet) in height with the workers trapped in a two-kilometre space, was being built on a national highway that is part of a Hindu pilgrimage route, Patwal and state authorities said.

It caved in around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday (2400 GMT on Saturday). The workers are largely migrants from other Indian states and include two locals, state authorities said.

"The relief forces are removing the debris and soon we will have all the labourers out," state police chief Ashok Kumar earlier said.

About 80 policemen, 20 fire services officials and 60 disaster management officials were engaged in the rescue operations, police said.

Rescuers were communicating with workers through walkie-talkies, Kumar said, adding that the exact cause of the accident was not yet known.

The work on the tunnel stretch commenced in 2018 and was initially intended to be completed by July 2022, which has now been delayed to May 2024, an Indian government statement said.

The Char Dham pilgrimage route is one of the most ambitious projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. It aims to connect four important Hindu pilgrimage sites of North India through 889 km (551 miles) of two-lane road being built at a cost of $1.5 billion.

But some work has been halted by local authorities after hundreds of houses were damaged by subsidence along the routes, including in Uttarakhand.

(Reporting by Saurabh Sharma; writing by Kanjyik Ghosh and Shivam Patel; editing by Shri Navaratnam, Tomasz Janowski and Mark Heinrich)


Indian rescuers battle to save 40 workers trapped in collapsed tunnel

AFP
Mon, November 13, 2023 

Rescuers in northern India battled for a second day Monday to rescue 40 workers trapped underground 

Rescuers in northern India battled for a second day Monday to save 40 workers trapped underground after the road tunnel they were building collapsed, bringing down tonnes of debris.

Teams using heavy excavators have been working nonstop since the collapse early Sunday morning to clear piles of concrete and earth, but with more debris falling as workers tried to clear a passage, a giant steel pipe was being prepared as an escape route.

"All the 40 workers trapped inside the tunnel are safe," Karamveer Singh Bhandari, a senior commander in the National Disaster Response Force, told AFP from the site in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, adding that water and food had been sent.

Oxygen was being pumped into the blocked portion of the tunnel, with food sent through a water pipe.

Rathodi said excavators had removed about 20 metres (65 feet) of heavy debris, but the men were 40 metres beyond that point.

"Due to excess debris in the tunnel, we are facing some difficulty in the rescue, but our team is leaving no stone unturned," Bhandari added.

Teams plan to use a heavy machine to drive a steel pipe with a width of 90 centimetres (nearly three feet), wide enough for the trapped men to squeeze through, the government's highway and infrastructure company said.

"Water, food, oxygen, electricity all are available with the work force trapped inside the tunnel... All the stranded workers are safe as communicated by them," the statement added.

Initial contact was made via a note on a scrap of paper, but later rescuers managed to connect using radio handsets.

"Some small food packets were sent in through a pipe which is also taking oxygen inside," rescue official Durgesh Rathodi told AFP from the site.

- 'Bring them out safely' -

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who on Monday flew to the site of the accident, said on X, formerly Twitter, that the work to remove the tumbled concrete debris was "being made continuously to bring them out safely".

"Contact has been made with the workers trapped in the tunnel through a walkie-talkie," he said. "Efforts are being made to get them out safely soon."

One rescue worker, quoted by the Press Trust of India news agency, said the men were contacted shortly after midnight on Monday.

Disaster response official Devendra Patwal said that while the men were trapped, they had space in the tunnel area where they were.

"The good thing is that the labourers are not crammed in, and have a buffer of around 400 metres to walk and breathe," Patwal told the Indian Express newspaper.

The 4.5-kilometre (2.7-mile) tunnel is being constructed between Silkyara and Dandalgaon to connect two of the holiest Hindu shrines of Uttarkashi and Yamunotri.

Photographs released by the government rescue teams showed huge piles of rubble blocking the wide tunnel, with twisted metal bars on its broken roof poking down in front of the rubble.

The tunnel is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's road project aimed to improve connectivity for some of the most popular Hindu shrines in the country, as well as areas bordering China.

Accidents on large infrastructure construction sites are common in India.

In January, at least 200 people were killed in flash floods in ecologically fragile Uttarakhand in a disaster that experts partly blamed on excessive development.

Rescuers scramble to reach up to 40 workers trapped in Himalayan tunnel collapse

Aishwarya Iyer, Rhea Mogul and Manveena Suri, CNN
Sun, November 12, 2023 at 10:35 PM MST·2 min read

Pushkar Singh Dhami/Twitter (X)


A frantic effort is underway in northern India to rescue dozens of workers trapped after a mountain tunnel they were helping to construct collapsed on Sunday, leaving them confined behind a pile of rubble with little oxygen and water.

As many as 40 men were working in the tunnel, part of an ambitious Himalayan highway project in town of Uttarkashi, when part of the passageway leading to the entrance gave way, authorities said.

“We are in touch with the men inside. All of them are alright and we are communicating with them,” he said. “We are all working hard to get them all out,” Uttarkashi superintendent of police, Arpan Yaduvanshi, told CNN on Monday.


Rescuers have been supplying oxygen and water to the men through the debris, Yaduvanshi added.

Photos and video from the scene showed a large machine excavating debris from the dark tunnel as dozens of rescue officials gathered by the entrance. State and national disaster officials have come together to assist with the operation, alongside local police officials.

Uttarkashi Circle Officer Anuj Kumar said workers have removed about 20 meters (65 feet) of debris and have another 40 meters (130 feet) to go.

“It would take approximately another day or so to clear it up,” he said.

The tunnel is part of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s Char Dham Highway project, a multimillion-dollar infrastructure plan to improve connectivity in the state of Uttarakhand and better access to important pilgrimage locations.

Uttarakhand, a mountainous and picturesque state on India’s border with China, is often referred to as “Devbhumi” or “Land of the Gods” owing to its rich cultural heritage and the abundance of Hindu religious sites.

The Char Dham Highway project is expected to be nearly 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) long, improving access to the state from India’s capital New Delhi.

Sunday’s collapse isn’t the first construction disaster in recent months to make headlines in India, a country that has been rapidly transforming its infrastructure and spending billions to upgrade its transport network.

In August, more than a dozen workers were killed after a bridge under construction collapsed in the northeastern state of Mizoram.

In June, a four-lane concrete bridge that was being built across the River Ganges in the eastern state of Bihar collapsed for the second time in just over a year, raising questions about the quality of its construction.

Last October, a recently repaired suspension bridge gave way in the town of Morbi in Gujarat, killing 135 people.

Dozens trapped in Himalayan tunnel collapse for more than 24 hours

Samaan Lateef
Mon, November 13, 2023

Some 40 workers are stuck following a landslide in the tunnel in Uttarakhand state, India - SDRF/AP

Rescuers are racing to save dozens of workers who have been trapped in a collapsed Himalayan tunnel in northern India for more than 24 hours.

About 40 men were working in the tunnel in the state of Uttarakhand when a section near an entrance collapsed on Sunday morning local time.

Officials said they are in contact with the workers and are providing them with oxygen, food and water.

Rescue teams used heavy excavators to clear piles of debris in desperate efforts to reach those trapped.

About 65 feet of rubble has already been cleared, but the men are hemmed in around 130 feet further beyond.

“All the 40 workers trapped inside the tunnel are safe,” Karamveer Singh Bhandari, a senior commander in the National Disaster Response Force, said on Monday. “We sent them water and food.”

Rescuers from Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force work to free the trapped workers - SDRF/AP

Initial contact was made with the men via a note on a scrap of paper, but rescuers later managed to speak to them using radio handsets.

Devendra Patwal, a disaster response official, said that although the men are trapped, they have space to move.

“The workers are not crammed in, and have a buffer of around 400 metres to walk and breathe,” he told Indian media.

“They have enough oxygen to easily survive for over eight to 10 hours, and that should give us enough time to rescue them.”

Oxygen was being pumped into the blocked portion of the tunnel, with food sent through a water pipe.

Photographs released by officials showed huge piles of concrete blocking the tunnel, with twisted metal bars protruding in front of the rubble.
Multimillion-dollar infrastructure project

The tunnel is part of a multimillion-dollar infrastructure project spearheaded by Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, which aims to improve connectivity in Uttarakhand, a mountainous and picturesque state on India’s border with China, and connect the Hindu shrines of Uttarkashi and Yamunotri.

The Char Dham pilgrimage project will see some 550 miles of two-lane road constructed at a cost of $1.5 billion.

Uttarakhand is often referred to as “Devbhumi” or “Land of the Gods” owing to its rich cultural heritage and the abundance of Hindu religious sites.

Accidents on large infrastructure projects are not uncommon in India, where poor engineering practices, use of inadequate construction materials and a lack of adherence to safety standards is common.

In January, at least 200 people were killed in flash floods in ecologically fragile Uttarakhand in a disaster that experts partly blamed on excessive development.

Authorities in India Work to Rescue 40 People Trapped by Tunnel Collapse

Storyful
Mon, November 13, 2023 


Rescue work continued on Monday, November 13, to free at least 40 workers trapped by the sudden collapse of a highway tunnel in Uttarkashi, India, on Sunday, officials said.

Footage released by Uttarakhand Police shows rescue efforts inside the tunnel on Sunday.

The chief minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar, Singh Dhami, told a press conference on Monday that rescue crews still had around 40 meters of rubble to clear before being able to reach the trapped workers.

Food, water, and oxygen were being supplied to the workers, with whom authorities had established contact, Dhami said. 

Credit: Uttarakhand Police via Storyful


Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Race to save 40 trapped workers

Asif Ali - BBC Hindi, Uttarkashi
Mon, November 13, 2023 

A portion of the tunnel collapsed on Sunday morning

Authorities in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand are racing to rescue around 40 workers who are trapped inside a collapsed tunnel.

The workers were building the tunnel when a part of it caved in on Sunday morning due to a landslide.

A senior official said that contact had been established with the men and they were being provided oxygen and food.

But rescuers still have to dig through several metres of debris before they can start evacuating the labourers.

The accident occurred at 05:00 local time (23:30 GMT) on Sunday - a portion of the Silkyara tunnel, around 200m away from its opening, collapsed while the workers were inside, senior police official Arpan Yaduvanshi told BBC Hindi.

The Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district is part of the federal government's ambitious highway project to improve connectivity to famous pilgrimage spots in Uttarakhand. The mountainous state, where several Himalayan peaks and glaciers are located, is home to some of the holiest sites for Hindus.

A nearby landslide caused heavy debris to fall on the tunnel, leading to its collapse. The mounds of debris cut off oxygen supply to the workers.

Authorities said that they were able to establish contact with the trapped men on Sunday night using walkie-talkies.

They also said that a pipeline laid for supplying water to the tunnel for construction work is now being used for supplying oxygen, food and water to the workers.

Rescuers are using excavators and other heavy machines to dig through the debris. Videos from the accident site show JCBs clearing out mud and stones as rescuers give instructions.

"We have moved around 15m [49ft] inside the tunnel. We are making our way from the side," Prashant Kumar, a senior police official in the town of Uttarkashi, told ANI news agency on Monday.

Officials say that it could take several hours before the debris is cleared and that they might only be able to reach the trapped workers by Monday evening.

National and state disaster relief teams are working together to rescue the workers and the operations are being supervised by the state's chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Mr Dhami has said that he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has offered all possible help to rescue the workers.

Ram Sundar Singh, a labourer from Uttar Pradesh state, told BBC Hindi that he and a few colleagues on the night shift had left the tunnel to use the toilet in the morning. When they returned to the site, they saw the tunnel collapse.

Many of the workers trapped inside the tunnel are from other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. Their colleagues waiting anxiously outside told BBC Hindi that they were all looking forward to celebrating Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, together on Sunday.

Race to rescue dozens of workers trapped by tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand, India

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Sun, November 12, 2023

Workers became trapped after an under-construction tunnel collapses in Uttarakhand, India (Screengrab/ANI)


Rescue operations are underway to save nearly 36 workers feared trapped inside an under-construction tunnel that collapsed on Sunday in India's Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

A 150-metre portion of the structure collapsed around 4am (local time) on Sunday, trapping a team of construction workers.

The 4km-long tunnel in Uttarkashi district is being built to connect the Silkyara and Dandalgaon regions in an effort to reduce the journey from Uttarkashi to Yamunotri Dham, a Hindu religious shrine, by about 26km.


The National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) and the local police have been pressed into action to rescue the workers.

A narrow opening has been made to insert an oxygen pipe while the rescue workers continue their effort to clear nearly 200 metres of slab to open the tunnel.


Devendra Patwal, the district’s disaster management officer, said the workers were not crammed inside the tunnel and had a buffer space of around 400 metres to “walk and breathe”.

“They have enough oxygen to easily survive for over 8-10 hours, and that should give us enough time to rescue them,” he told The Indian Express.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he had been in contact with officials since he was first informed of the incident on Sunday morning.

"NDRF and SDRF are at the spot. We pray to god for the safe return of everybody," he told news agency ANI.

Vertical drilling machines were reportedly being arranged to cut through the debris, the authorities said, but some officials said it could still take up to three days to evacuate the workers.

Falling rubble posed a significant challenge for rescuers trying to remove the obstruction. Photographs released from the accident site showed huge piles of concrete blocking the tunnel as metal bars poked down in front of the rubble.

Uttarkashi’s police superintendent Arpan Yaduvanshi told the Press Trust of India that rescue operations were “under way on a war footing”. “Around 36 workers are trapped inside, as per record[s],” he said. “We will rescue all of them safely.”

He said there had been “no casualty reported so far”.

Five ambulances have been brought to the accident spot for the trapped workers.

The construction workers were reportedly from the eastern states of Bihar and Jharkhand.


Rescuers dig to reach 40 workers trapped in collapsed road tunnel in north India
Euronews
Mon, November 13, 2023

Rescue workers in northern India said on Monday they had made contact with 40 workers trapped for over 24 hours after the road tunnel they were building collapsed.

"All the 40 workers trapped inside the tunnel are safe," Karamveer Singh Bhandari, a senior commander in the National Disaster Response Force said. "We sent them water and food."

The collapse occurred early on Sunday morning, with rescue teams using heavy excavators to clear piles of debris in desperate efforts to reach the 40 men.

Oxygen was being pumped into the blocked portion of the tunnel, with food sent through a water pipe.

Initial contact was made via a note on a scrap of paper, but later rescuers managed to connect miners using radio handsets.

"Some small food packets were sent in through a pipe which is also taking oxygen inside," rescue official Durgesh Rathodi told AFP from the site.

Rathodi said excavators had removed about 20 metres of heavy debris, but the men were 40 metres beyond that point.

"Due to excess debris in the tunnel, we are facing some difficulty in the rescue, but our team is leaving no stone unturned," Bhandari added.
'Bring them out safely'

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who on Monday flew to the site of the accident, said the work to remove the tons of tumbled concrete debris was "being made continuously to bring them out safely," he wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

"Contact has been made with the workers trapped in the tunnel through a walkie-talkie," he said. "Efforts are being made to get them out safely soon."

One rescue worker, quoted by the Press Trust of India news agency, said the men were contacted shortly after midnight on Monday.

Disaster response official Devendra Patwal said that while the men were trapped, they had space in the tunnel area where they were.

"The good thing is that the labourers are not crammed in, and have a buffer of around 400 metres to walk and breathe," Patwal told the Indian Express newspaper.

The 4.5-kilometre tunnel is being constructed between Silkyara and Dandalgaon to connect two of the holiest Hindu shrines of Uttarkashi and Yamunotri.

Photographs released by the government rescue teams showed huge piles of rubble blocking the wide tunnel, with twisted metal bars on its broken roof poking down in front of the rubble.

The tunnel is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Char Dham Road Project, which is meant to improve connectivity for some of the most popular Hindu shrines in the country, as well as areas bordering China.

Accidents on large infrastructure construction sites are common in India.

In January, at least 200 people were killed in flash floods in ecologically fragile Uttarakhand in a disaster that experts partly blamed on excessive development.


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