Indian authorities have warned that 41 construction workers may remain trapped in a collapsed tunnel in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand for several more days, even though rescue efforts have already lasted more than a week, according to the BBC website.
Although the authorities assured the public that the workers would be rescued quickly, the operation was delayed by the eighth day. It was possible to establish contact with the collapsed workers soon after the collapse, colleagues were then able to supply them with oxygen, water and food through a small tube.
The government said on Sunday evening that it had set in motion a new “five-point plan” to start drilling the tunnel from new directions. Rescuers are trying to drill a hole through which a pipe wide enough to get the trapped workers out safely.
They are now considering drilling a hole at a different angle, up the hill below which the workers are trapped. However, it would take four to five days to reach the workers in this way, government spokeswoman Dípa Gaurová told the AP agency. On Saturday, the authorities had to transport a new drilling rig to the site of the accident because the previous one was destroyed during the work. New roads were also built to get more heavy machinery to the site, The Guardian website noted.
