‘RELIEVED AND HAPPY’

All 41 Workers Rescued From Collapsed Tunnel in India After 17 Days

The workers crawled out through a passageway made from welded pipes.

After 17 days of drilling through rock, all 41 construction workers have been freed from the collapsed Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi, a town in India, on Tuesday. The Associated Press reported that the workers, who were stuck in the tunnel on Nov. 12 due to a landslide, crawled out through a passageway made from welded pipes that rescue teams inserted through rocks in the mountain. The news agency stated that local residents celebrated as the workers emerged, shouting, “Long live mother India,” and launching firecrackers. Nitin Gadkari, the minister of road transport and highways, said in a video on X, formerly Twitter, that he was “completely relieved and happy” and said the effort was “one of the most significant rescue operations in recent years.” According to CNN, Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand state, said in a press conference that all 41 workers appeared to be healthy, and they would each be given checks worth 100,000 rupees (roughly $1,200).