Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

India deploys specialised equipment as rescue efforts continue

The collapsed tunnel is on the Char Dham pilgrimage route, one of the most ambitious projects of prime minister Narendra Modi’s government.

India deploys specialised equipment as rescue efforts continue

INDIA's military brought in specialised equipment on Sunday (26) as efforts to free 41 trapped workers entered a third week, with digging ongoing in three directions after repeated setbacks to the operation.

The Indian air force said Sunday that they were "responding with alacrity", as they flew in their third load since the partial collapse of the under-construction Silkyara road tunnel on November 12 in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.


Rescue officials said they called for a superheated plasma cutter to be brought to the remote mountain location, after engineers driving a metal pipe horizontally through 57 metres (187 feet) of rock and concrete ran into metal girders and construction vehicles buried in the earth.

A giant earth-boring machine snapped just nine metres from breaking through.

The plasma cutter will be used to remove the broken giant earth-boring drill and metal blocking the horizontal route, before digging will continue by hand.

Thick metal girders in the rubble are blocking the route, and using conventional oxyacetylene cutters to clear them is tricky from inside the confined pipe, only wide enough for a man to crawl through.

The air force said the "critical" kit came from the country's Defence Research and Development Organisation, the government's defence technology research arm, without giving further details.

Vertical drilling has also begun to dig 89 metres downwards, a risky route above the men in an area that has already suffered a collapse.

Work has also started from the far side of the road tunnel, a much longer third route estimated to be around 480 metres.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami Sunday visited the home of one of the trapped workers and apprised the family of the efforts being made for their rescue.

"We are working with full force to get all the workers out safely," he said in a post on social media.

The workers were seen alive for the first time on Tuesday (21), peering into the lens of an endoscopic camera sent by rescuers down a thin pipe through which air, food, water and electricity are being delivered.

A basic telephone exchange has been set up at the site so that families of the trapped men -- many of whom are migrant workers from poor families from far across India -- could call in to speak to them.

Efforts have been painfully slow, complicated by falling debris and repeated breakdowns of drilling machines.

Hopes that the team was on the verge of a breakthrough on Wednesday (22) were dashed, with a government statement warning of the "challenging Himalayan terrain".

For the distraught relatives of the trapped men, it has been an ordeal without an imminent end in sight.

Indrajeet Kumar, whose brother Vishwajeet is among the men "imprisoned" inside, told Times of India on Saturday (25) that he "feels like crying" when his brother asks him during their conversations on the communication system why they were still stuck.

Om Kumar, who is from the eastern state of Jharkhand, said three of his cousins were trapped inside.

"If, somehow, they escape, they will save their lives -- they will return home and will never work inside the tunnel again," Kumar, 20, said.

Syed Ata Hasnain, a senior rescue official and retired general, called on Saturday for "patience".

"A very difficult operation is going on," he told reporters.

"When you do something with mountains, you cannot predict anything," he added. "This situation is exactly like war."

(AFP)

More For You

11th UK Gatka Championship

All winners received medals and trophies

UK Parliament

11th UK Gatka Championship ends with Welsh debut and £1,000 support for Gatka Akharas

Highlights:

  • The 11th UK National Gatka Championship was hosted near Cardiff, marking the first time in Wales.
  • Winners included Roop Kaur (girls), Navjot Singh (boys), and Gurdeep Singh (men’s).
  • Gatka Federation UK awarded £1,000 to each participating Akhara to support martial arts promotion.
  • Chief guests included MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation.

Gatka Championship marks Welsh debut

The 11th UK National Gatka Championship concluded on a high note near Cardiff, Wales, showcasing the traditional Sikh martial art with flair. Seven leading Gatka Akharas participated, thrilling spectators with their lightning-fast strikes, precision moves and elegant techniques.

Inauguration by global leaders

The tournament was inaugurated by Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation (WGF) and the National Gatka Association of India (NGAI). He was joined by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP, President of Gatka Federation UK, alongside other dignitaries including Jagbir Singh Jagga Chakar, President of Wales Kabaddi Club, and community leaders from the Haveli Hotel Pontyclun.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vantara

The site, located in Gujarat, houses hundreds of elephants, as well as 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards, and 900 crocodiles. (Photo: Instagram/Vantara)

India court probe clears Ambani family’s animal centre

AN INDIAN Supreme Court-ordered investigation has cleared a large private animal facility run by the son of Asia’s richest man, rejecting allegations of wildlife violations.

Vantara, described as the “world’s biggest wild animal rescue centre,” is operated by Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer

Starmer, who has faced negative coverage since taking office in July 2024, defended the appointment process.

Reuters

Starmer: I would not have appointed Mandelson if aware of Epstein ties

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer said on Monday he would not have appointed Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington had he known the extent of his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

This was Starmer’s first public statement since dismissing Mandelson last week. The prime minister is facing questions over his judgement, including from Labour MPs, after initially standing by Mandelson before removing him from the post.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump

Trump said the suspect had been arrested earlier for 'terrible crimes,' including child sex abuse, grand theft auto and false imprisonment, but was released under the Biden administration because Cuba refused to take him back.

Getty Images

Trump says accused in Dallas motel beheading will face first-degree murder charge

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has described Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, the Indian-origin motel manager killed in Dallas, as a “well-respected person” and said the accused will face a first-degree murder charge.

Nagamallaiah, 50, was killed last week at the Downtown Suites motel by co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a 37-year-old undocumented Cuban immigrant with a criminal history.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer Mandelson

Starmer talks with Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty

Starmer under pressure from party MPs after Mandelson dismissal

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is facing questions within the Labour party after the sacking of US ambassador Peter Mandelson.

Mandelson was removed last week after Bloomberg published emails showing messages of support he sent following Jeffrey Epstein’s conviction for sex offences. The dismissal comes just ahead of US president Donald Trump’s state visit.

Keep ReadingShow less