Collapsed India tunnel had no safety exit, was built through geological fault, says panel member
- Rescuers racing to evacuate 41 builders trapped in a collapsed tunnel were hoping to resume drilling on Friday after a mechanical problem halted their progress
- The mountainous terrain in Uttarakhand state has proved a challenge for the drilling machine, while its high-intensity vibrations have caused more debris to fall
A tunnel which collapsed, trapping 41 workers in the Indian Himalayas this month, did not have an emergency exit and was built through a geological fault, a member of a panel of experts investigating the disaster said on Friday.
Rescuers were still struggling to reach the construction workers 12 days after the 4.5km (3-mile) tunnel caved in. The men, from some of India’s poorest states, have been getting food, water and medicine through a pipe.
In the days that followed the collapse, the government asked a group of experts to investigate what went wrong, look into the construction of the tunnel in Uttarakhand state, and make recommendations for the future.
Preliminary findings indicated the collapse may have been caused by a geological fault, known as a “shear zone”, a member of the panel told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media.
There was also no escape passage, despite government guidelines recommending emergency exits for tunnels longer than 1.5km, he added.
“Once the rescue operations are over, we will conduct detailed investigations to find out loopholes in the construction,” the panel member said.