Metro Plus News 41 workers in India are stuck in a tunnel for an 8th day.

41 workers in India are stuck in a tunnel for an 8th day.

Officials trying to reach 41 workers who have been trapped in a collapsed tunnel in northern India for eight days were contemplating alternative rescue plans Sunday after snags with a drilling machine caused them to halt digging.
A new drilling machine arrived at the accident site in Uttarakhand state on Saturday to replace one that was damaged while breaking through the rocks and debris. They had been using the drill to create a space to insert wide pipes through which the trapped workers could crawl to their freedom.
Authorities have so far drilled 24 meters (79 feet) through rubble and debris, but it would require up to 60 meters (197 feet) to allow the workers to escape, said Devendra Patwal, a disaster management official.
Officials on Sunday were considering new angles for extracting the workers. Deepa Gaur, a government spokesperson, said this included possibly using the new machine to drill from the top of the hill, under which the workers have been trapped inside the collapsed tunnel.