Indian rescue crews get closer to trapped construction workers

Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Emergency crews trying to rescue trapped workers in a collapsed transportation tunnel in the Himalayas said they have passed the halfway point to reaching them, Indian officials said on Wednesday.

With the help of new heavy drilling machinery, crews have dug through two-thirds of the way, clearing about 130 feet of rubble that has off the 41 migrant workers on Nov. 12 who had been working in the tunnel

"If there are no further hurdles, then maybe by later tonight or early morning we may have some good news," senior government official Neeraj Khairlanji said.

Mahmood Ahmed, a senior official with Uttarakhand's Road and Transport Department said only about 60 feet still needed to be cleared.

He added the most difficult part of the process was welding pipes that have been used to send in supplies and will ultimately provide a route for the workers to escape.

"Welding is most important ... this takes time. It does not take much time to drill ... due to this it has taken almost 15 hours from late night to send 26 feet of pipes, i.e., three sections," he said.

Rescue workers had been able to insert a 174-foot pipe through the rubble on Monday, allowing them to get oxygen to the workers.

The effort to reach the trapped workers had been slow because of falling debris and broken equipment. The drill at one point was suspended until threats were stabilized.

On Tuesday officials shared the first images of the workers in the form of a 70-second video after a camera was fed through a small pipe.

The tunnel project, approved in 2018 for $184 million, is part of ambitious plans by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to improve year-round highway infrastructure serving famous Hindu pilgrimage sites in the mountainous region.

Officials said they had hoped to free the construction workers by mid-week seven days ago.