Rescuers in northern India have completed an operation to rescue workers trapped under a collapsed tunnel pile in the Himalayas. They were underground for 17 days, "Adyrna" portal reports with reference to BBC.
At around 15:30 (18:30 Moscow time), the Uttarakhand state government announced that all 41 people had been rescued.
The collapse of the tunnel occurred 17 days ago at a depth of 4.5 kilometers.
Authorities noted that people are happy to be safe. Even though it was underground, it was about two kilometers long and 8.5 meters high.
As soon as the first hole was drilled into the thick mound, the trapped population was provided with as much food, water and oxygen as possible. But there was a fear that sooner or later the lack of oxygen would begin to negatively affect their condition.
More than a hundred people participated in rescue operations. It was reported that the rescuers drilled the last five meters and then began to bring the workers to the surface through a 57-meter pipe.
On Monday, a special unit of rescuers in India called "rat miners" was involved in the rescue operation.
The method used by these teams is mainly used in coal mines and involves working in very confined spaces.
