New drill bores deeper into tunnel rubble in India to create an escape pipe for 40 trapped workers
By BISWAJEET BANERJEE
Associated Press
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Rescuers drilled deeper into the rubble of a collapsed road tunnel in northern India to fix wide pipes for 40 workers trapped underground for a sixth day to crawl to their freedom. A disaster management official said Friday that drilling with a new machine has covered a stretch of 78 feet so far and it may require up to 195 feet to enable the trapped workers’ escape. The first machine used was slow in pushing pipes through the debris. Nuts, roasted chickpeas, popcorn and medicine are being sent to the workers via a pipe, and their condition hasn’t deteriorated. The workers have been trapped since Sunday, when a landslide caused part of the tunnel to collapse.