As this publication reported on November 12th, 2023, 40 Indian workers were trapped when the tunnel they were working on the Yamunotri National Highway near Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand, India collapsed. It has now been five days since the miners were trapped and they have still not been rescued despite a large international movement. Food, drinking water, and fresh air has been delivered to the miners via a pump system. However, earlier this morning, rescue crews were finally able to receive a message from the workers via a pipe:
Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: First message from trapped Odia labourer
Dhiren Nayak of Mayurbhanj communicates with relatives through a pipe; says "We are all fine"#Odisha
— OTV (@otvnews) November 16, 2023
Rescue operations made significant headway in the first forty eight hours, however a landslide halted operations yesterday. Indian military rescue units flew into the area and local media reported that the NHIDCL contacted the Norwegian government in hopes of getting guidance and support from the personnel involved in Thai Cave Rescue.
All 40 workers are still alive as a second tunnel is being created to reach the air pocket. However, two have been suffering deteriorating health conditions.
