5 Odias Among 40 Workers Trapped in Tunnel Collapse in Uttarakhand, Rescue Operation On

New Delhi: Five Odias are among around 40 workers trapped in an under-construction tunnel that collapsed in Uttarakhand on Sunday.

Odia workers trapped inside the tunnel are: Biseshwar Nayak and Raju Nayak from Mayurbhanj, Tapan Mandal and Bhagban Batra from Nabarangpur and Dhiren from Kuldiha.

According to the Uttarakhand Emergency Operation Centre, the trapped labourers are from Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

Rescuers worked throughout the night to make out a way to take out the trapped workers. The rescue teams have established contact with them and provided them with food and water.

The workers were trapped after an under-construction tunnel on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway collapsed. The tunnel is part of the Char Dham all-weather road project.

The workers are safe and have asked for food, which is being sent to them. Communication has been established with the stranded workers through walkie-talkies. Food packets are being sent to them with the help of compressors. Enough oxygen was made available to them through a water pipeline.

The pile of debris is being dredged and drilled inside the under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon to prepare an escape passage for the trapped labourers.

About 160 personnel of agencies such as the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the Border Roads Organisation are involved in the rescue operation.