Trapped tunnel workers receive first hot meal through new rescue pipe

On Tuesday, the first video emerged of the Indian workers trapped inside the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi. The tunnel collapsed during construction work ten days ago, trapping 41 workers behind several meters of rocks and rubble. Thanks to ongoing efforts, rescuers successfully pushed a 15cm-wide pipeline through the rubble, enabling the supply of larger quantities of food and medicine to the trapped workers than the previous, smaller pipe. A chef is also preparing the first hot meal the workers will have had since the cave in – the ‘comfort food’ is a one pot rice dish Khichdi. An endoscopic camera sent through the pipeline captured the workers, clad in yellow and white helmets, receiving food and looking remarkably well considering their ordeal. The rescue operation, involving drones, robots from the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), and the construction of a vertical rescue shaft is still ongoing, and progress is slow due to the presence of large boulders making up the debris. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to assess the rescue operation, emphasizing the need to boost the morale of the trapped workers.