UTTARKASHI, Nov 13: Officials said on Monday that 40 workers who were left stranded after an under-construction tunnel on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway collapsed were rescued by rescuers who worked through the night and gave them food and water. The Silkyara police control room reported that the workers are safe and that they have requested food, which is being sent to them. They also mentioned that walkie-talkies have been used to establish communication. Compressors have been used to supply food packets, according to the statement.In order to create an escape route for the labourers who are trapped in the under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon, the district emergency operation centre is currently conducting dredging and drilling operations through the debris. On Sunday morning, a section of the tunnel gave way, trapping about forty labourers inside. The Char Dham all-weather road project includes the tunnel. The workers are from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, according to the District Emergency Operation Centre.Approximately 160 members of various agencies, including the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), are attempting to free the stranded labourers. On Sunday, officials expressed optimism regarding the safety of the stranded labourers after providing them with adequate oxygen via a water pipeline. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inquired about the status of the rescue operations with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
