In northern India’s Uttarakhand state, at least 40 construction workers are trapped after a road tunnel they were building collapsed. The incident occurred during a shift change, as a group of workers was leaving the tunnel, and replacement workers were entering. The 4.5-kilometer tunnel connects two holy Hindu shrines and is part of the Char Dham Road Project.
Rescue teams are working to reach the trapped workers, supplying oxygen through a tube, but the removal of debris remains challenging. The collapse covered about 200 meters of the tunnel, with piles of concrete blocking the wide passage. Twisted metal bars on the broken roof added to the complexity of the rescue operation.
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Photographs released by government rescue teams depict the significant obstruction within the tunnel. Local authorities remain optimistic about rescuing the trapped workers safely, but the duration of the rescue operation remains uncertain.
The tunnel collapse is a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Char Dham Road Project, aimed at improving connectivity to some of the country’s most popular Hindu shrines and areas bordering China. Accidents on large infrastructure construction sites are unfortunately common in India, raising concerns about safety practices in such projects.
In January, Uttarakhand witnessed another disaster when flash floods claimed the lives of at least 200 people, with some experts attributing the tragedy to excessive development in ecologically fragile areas. This latest incident underscores the ongoing safety challenges associated with major construction projects in the region.
