A section of a road tunnel under construction collapsed Sunday after a landslide in northern India, trapping more than thirty workers, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Some 160 emergency rescuers are using drilling equipment and excavators to reach the workers while conveying oxygen and food into the collapsed section of the tunnel to sustain their lives, the AP reported. The collapsed section of the tunnel is reportedly about 200 meters (656 feet) from the entrance, per the outlet.
The Silkyara-Dandalgaon tunnel is in the Uttarkarshi district of the state of Uttarakhand, NDTV reported. Uttarakhand is frequented by pilgrims and tourists and is known for its many Hindu temples, per the AP. The many infrastructural projects in the state have reportedly contributed to its expansion, per the outlet.
A video on social media showed emergency personnel and heavy machinery working in the tunnel as well as metal rods hanging down from the roof of the collapsed section. (RELATED: At Least 26 Dead In Collapse Of Unfinished Railroad Bridge)
— 36 people are trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand, state #India, after a collapsed road tunnel, with rescuers scrambling to reach them beneath debris piles.
— Causing a rubble explosion and damage to two Hindu shrines, Uttarkashi and Yamnotri.#Tunnel #Kanguva… pic.twitter.com/d62ZPvOE7A
— South Asian Perspective (@SAnPerspective) November 12, 2023
The collapse occurred as India was celebrating Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
India has witnessed several incidents of structural collapse in 2023. A bridge across the Kurung River in Sairang town in Mizoram state collapsed in August, killing at least 26 people, per the BBC. A crane collapsed amidst bridge construction work in Shapur, Maharashtra, killing at least 16 workers and trapping others, per Reuters. A well’s cover collapsed during a festival in a Hindu temple complex in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, in late March, killing 36 people including the secretary of the temple board, per the AP.