In India’s Uttarakhand, first glimpses emerge of 41 workers trapped in caved-in tunnel
- Video of the workers was shot using a medical endoscopy camera that was pushed through a 15cm-wide pipeline drilled into the debris
- The men, who have been stuck in the 4.5km tunnel in Uttarakhand state since November 12, have been told to exercise lightly and get plenty of sleep
The first images emerged on Tuesday of 41 men trapped for more than a week in a highway tunnel in the Indian Himalayas, showing them standing in the confined space and communicating with rescuers.
The men have been stuck in the 4.5km (3-mile) tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on November 12 and are safe, authorities said, with access to light, oxygen, food, water and medicines.
They have not said what caused the cave-in, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods. Efforts to bring out the 41 men have been slowed by snags in drilling through the debris in the mountainous terrain.
A 30-second video provided by authorities showed about a dozen of the trapped men standing in a semicircle in front of the camera, wearing helmets and construction worker jackets over their clothes against the backdrop of the lights in the tunnel.
A rescuer outside could be heard telling the men to present themselves before the camera one by one, to confirm their identities on the walkie-talkie gear that had been sent in.
The video was shot using a medical endoscopy camera that was pushed through a second, wider pipeline of 15cm (6 inches) in diameter, drilled into the debris on Monday, authorities said.
In the clip, the trapped men appeared to be doing fine, answering that they were all right in response to queries about their well-being, said one official in the rescue control room who spoke on condition of anonymity.