Indian rescuers hope bigger drill will reach 40 trapped in tunnel

Members of rescue teams preparing to conduct a rescue operation after a portion of an under-construction tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, on Nov 14, 2023. — Reuters

LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) -Rescuers in north Indian mountains trying to reach 40 road workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel for more than three days will soon get help from a heavy drilling machine airlifted in to the site, officials said on Wednesday.

The workers are safe and rescuers have been able to communicate with them and send them food, water and oxygen through a pipe since the early Sunday collapse, but huge boulders have stymied efforts to dig an escape route for them.