Overview

• Rescue efforts to save 40 workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand, India, have been ongoing since Sunday, with officials estimating it could take another 40-48 hours to reach the workers.
• A new, more powerful drilling machine has been brought in to speed up the rescue process. The machine is expected to drill through the debris and create a space for a pipe that the men can use to crawl out of the tunnel.
• The trapped workers are being supplied with oxygen, food, and water through a pipeline. Some of the workers have reportedly started to become ill, exhibiting symptoms including dizziness, fever, and vomiting.
• The tunnel is part of the federal government's $1.5 billion highway project to improve connectivity to famous pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand. The construction of the tunnel has been criticized due to the fragile ecology of the region.
• Most of the trapped workers are migrant laborers from states in northern and eastern India. The Jharkhand government has sent a three-member team to aid rescue workers.