Indian rescuers, two weeks after tunnel collapse, try new tack to reach 41 workers

Heavy machinery seen as rescue operations are in progress after workers are trapped in a collapse of an under-construction tunnel, in Uttarkashi, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 26, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

SILKYARA, India (Reuters) -Indian rescuers began drilling vertically on Sunday from the top of a mountain under which 41 workers became trapped two weeks ago while working on a highway tunnel in the Himalayas, government officials said.

The men, construction workers from some of India's poorest states, have been stuck in the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel being built in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on Nov. 12. Authorities have said they are safe, with access to light, oxygen, food, water and medicines.