41 trapped workers inside tunnel rescued after 17 days

All 41 trapped workers inside a tunnel in Uttarkashi of India have been rescued after 17 days in a mammoth operation.

The rescue teams on Tuesday achieved a major breakthrough as all trapped workers were rescued from the Silkyara tunnel. Rescue crew drilled through the debris of rock, concrete and mud to reach them.

The final phase of the delicate operation was completed in about an hour.

The labourers, low-wage workers from some of India’s poorest states, had been stuck in the 4.5-km (three-mile) tunnel being built in Uttarakhand since it caved in early on November 12.

The intricate and painstaking efforts to get them out had been closely watched across the country for days.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the state’s top elected official, met some of the workers before they were taken to hospital, presenting them with traditional marigold garlands.