Images have emerged showing Indian workers trapped in a confined space, 10 days after the tunnel they were working in collapsed.
The 41 men have been trapped in the 4.5 kilometre tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it caved in about 200 metres from the entrance on November 12.
It’s not clear what caused the tunnel to collapse, but the hilly area is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.
The tunnel is part of a busy all-weather road project connecting various Hindu pilgrimage sites.
The men – who are low-wage workers – are safe and have access to light, oxygen, food, water and medicine, however rescue efforts by about 200 disaster relief personnel have been hampered by difficulties drilling through debris in the mountain terrain, the Guardian reported.
Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force
The video shows the workers taking turns to confirm their identities to the camera and walkie-talkies.
On Tuesday (NZ time), the Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force released a 30-second video of the men, filmed on a medical endoscopy camera that was pushed through a pipe drilled through the debris.
The men, wearing helmets and construction worker jackets, were instructed by a rescue worker to take turns confirming their identities to the camera via walkie-talkies.
A doctor at the site, Prem Pokhriyal, told the men to avoid heavy workouts, to prevent the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the confined space as they breathe.
Abhishek Sharma, a psychiatrist, advised the men to walk around, do light yoga exercises and talk among themselves regularly to stay occupied.
AP
A heavy machinery works at the entrance to the under-construction tunnel that collapsed with 41 workers inside.
“Sleep is very important for them… and as of now they have been sleeping well and not reported any difficulties in sleeping,” Sharma told Reuters.
They were in good spirits, but keen to get out of the tunnel, he added.
According to AP, officials have contacted the Thai experts involved in the rescue of a youth soccer team from a cave in Thailand in 2018.
Nuts, roasted chickpeas, popcorn and medicine are being given to workers via a pipe every two hours.
Sunita Hembrom, whose brother-in-law Surendra Kisko is trapped in the tunnel, said he was “doing fine”.
“He said ‘Take care of yourselves, the children and parents. Just tell us what they are doing to get us out of here’.”
