Wickremesinghe, Premadasa, and Dissanayake are the main contenders for the post
world6 hours ago
The 41 construction workers who have been trapped in a collapsed tunnel in northern India for over a week are finally getting hot meals Tuesday, provided through a newly installed steel pipe, as rescuers work on an alternate plan of digging toward them vertically.
The meals, made of rice and lentils, were sent through a 6-inch-(15.24 cm) pipe pushed through the rubble late Monday, said Deepa Gaur, a government spokesperson.
For the last nine days, the workers survived off of dry food sent through a narrower pipe. Oxygen is being supplied to them through a separate pipe.
Officials on Tuesday released a video, after a camera was pushed through the pipe, showing the workers in their construction hats moving around the blocked tunnel while communicating with rescuers on the ground through walkie-talkies. Their families have been growing more worried and frustrated as the rescue operation dragged on.
The tunnel collapsed in Uttarakhand state, a mountainous region that has proved a challenge to the drilling machine which broke down as rescuers attempted to dig horizontally toward the trapped workers. The machine’s high-intensity vibrations also caused more debris to fall, prompting officials to suspend rescue efforts briefly.
Currently, rescuers are creating an access road to the top of the hill from where they will dig vertically. From the vertical direction, drilling to the tunnel will take a few days and debris could fall during the digging, officials said Monday. Rescue teams will need to dig 103 meters (338 feet) downwards to reach the trapped workers — nearly double the distance.
Auhtorities said they would also continue digging horizontally from the mouth of the tunnel toward the labourers.
The workers have been trapped since Nov. 12, when a landslide caused a portion of the 4.5-kilometre (2.8-mile) tunnel they were building to collapse about 200 meters (650 feet) from the entrance.
Uttarakhand is dotted with Hindu temples, and highway and building construction has been constant to accommodate the influx of pilgrims and tourists. The tunnel is part of the Chardham all-weather road, a flagship federal project connecting various Hindu pilgrimage sites.
About 200 disaster relief personnel have been at the site using drilling equipment and excavators in the rescue operation.
ALSO READ:
Wickremesinghe, Premadasa, and Dissanayake are the main contenders for the post
world6 hours ago
His visit to Cairo aimed to salvage stalled negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the conflict
world1 day ago
Hundreds of pagers belonging to the armed group exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday, killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded up to 2,800 others
world1 day ago
Over a week ago, India had reported its first case in a man who had arrived from western Africa in Delhi
world1 day ago
Government faces challenge of accelerating IMF reforms
world1 day ago
Thailand reported three more deaths on Wednesday, taking the toll in the kingdom to 18, with a total of 537 fatalities now confirmed across the region
world1 day ago
The FDA's breakthrough tag is given to certain medical devices that provide treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening conditions
world1 day ago
Around 100 of these chemicals are considered to be of 'high concern' to human health, according to lead study author Geueke
world1 day ago