In India, dozens of workers were trapped in tunnels for more than a week. Concerns are growing because men’s power is decreasing. Now there is video from his prison.
The images are grainy and indistinct, but offer a glimmer of hope to desperate families: For the first time, a camera captured 41 workers trapped in a partially collapsed highway tunnel in India for ten long days. You can see the trapped people wearing protective helmets standing on the high part of the tunnel and communicating with helpers outside via walkie-talkies.
“If you’re OK, come in front of the camera,” asks the off-camera rescuer. “All of you, come on camera.” For the distraught families of the men at the crash site, it was a relief to see the video, wrote the Indian Express. “If necessary, take our house and land, but please bring our son back to us safely,” the family of 22-year-old worker Pushkar Singh Airi previously told media group “India Today”.
First warm meal
Rescuers have been trying for days to free the 41 men from their prison beneath the mountain. After all: you are in contact with men, now even with a camera. And there was good news in this drama: According to reports, the rescue team was able to create a second tube for the men, through which they received their first hot meal in ten days. Rice and lentil dishes were delivered to the men in bottles.
Until now, the trapped people were only connected to the outside world through a very narrow tube through which they could receive oxygen, dried fruit, popcorn and water. In the coming days, mobile phones and chargers will also be able to reach them, local television station NDTV reported.
And the trapped workers have been given medicine. They now suffer from headaches, constipation and claustrophobia, he said.
Trapped behind tens of meters of rubble
Construction work on the 4.5-kilometer highway tunnel was underway when a portion of the tunnel collapsed due to a landslide on November 12. The crash site occurred near the small town of Uttarkashi in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand – a region with many Hindu temples that attract pilgrims. The tunnel was intended to improve connections there.
The workers were trapped under tens of meters of rubble. Initially, authorities promised a quick rescue. But attempts with different machines repeatedly failed. The slopes are hard and the terrain is unsafe. On Friday, work with a drilling rig was stopped after cracks were clearly heard inside the mountain.
The helpers now tried to drill the holes from three sides. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that it is important to maintain human morals. But how long they will have to survive in the small space is currently unclear.
Over the weekend, authorities announced that they would arrange accommodation, food and medical care for waiting families, local news agency ANI reported. Several politicians and officials have visited the crash site.
Memories of Thai cave drama
India’s tunnel drama brings back memories of a young football team’s daring rescue from a suddenly flooded cave in Thailand five years ago. Media from around the world reported for days about the spectacular and extremely risky rescue operation at Tham Luang Cave. Finally, the trapped people were brought to the open by special divers in the UK and Australia, among others. And in Thailand, as in India, just days later video recordings of the young people were made, much to the relief of the families.
The Indian government has now contacted the experts involved in the successful rescue mission in Thailand – in the hope there will be a happy ending for the prisoners in the tunnel. Experts from Norway were also contacted. The good news is: there is still hope. Anurag Jain of the Transport Ministry is confident: “It will take time, but we will get them out eventually.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa:231121-99-20963/4
