Indian rescuers have safely pulled out all 41 construction workers from a collapsed Himalayan road tunnel. The astounding rescue is the result of a marathon 17-day engineering operation to free the trapped workers.
Triumphant announcement
Announcing the success, India's Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari, in a statement, said that he was "completely relieved and happy as 41 trapped labourers in the Silkyara Tunnel Collapse have been successfully rescued."
"This was a well-coordinated effort by multiple agencies, marking one of the most significant rescue operations in recent years," he added.
(Photograph:AFP)
Scenes of jubilation
The 41 construction workers were greeted with cheers and flower garlands upon their rescue. Also, waiting for them was a line of ambulances to transport them to medical facilities for checkup and care.
(Photograph:AFP)
What happened?
The 41 workers were trapped underground after a portion of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel collapsed on November 12. They were stuck behind tonnes of earth inside a Himalayan road tunnel located in India's Uttarakhand.
(Photograph:Reuters)
How did they survive underground?
While initially all hope was thought to be lost, last week an endoscopic camera sent down a thin pipe found the workers alive and well.
Following this, air, food, water and electricity were also delivered to them via the thin pipe.
(Photograph:Reuters)
Rescue operation
A marathon 17-day engineering operation freed the trapped workers from their underground place of confinement. Engineers drove a metal pipe horizontally through the 57 metres of rock and concrete to execute this daring rescue.
In the process, they ran into metal girders and construction vehicles buried in the rubble, which even led to the snapping of a giant earth-boring machine.
(Photograph:AFP)
Rat-hole technique
After repeated setbacks in the rescue operation, finally military engineers and skilled miners made use of the so-called "rat-hole" technique to successfully execute the rescue.
The term 'rat-hole' refers to a narrow pit dug into the ground. Generally, this technique is used in India's northeastern states to extract coal from narrow, horizontal seams. Here, it was used to create an opening just wide enough for someone (the trapped workers) to squeeze through.
(Photograph:ANI)