Indian rescue effort for 41 trapped in tunnel breaks through steel obstacle

Rescuers in India are set to work through Thursday drilling through debris to reach 41 men trapped in a highway tunnel in the Himalayan region after removing a metal obstruction that slowed progress overnight, a top official said.
The men have been stuck in the 4.5-km tunnel in Uttarakhand state for 11 days since it caved in early on Nov. 12 and are safe, authorities have said, with access to light, oxygen, food, water and medicines.
Rescuers had expected to break through early on Thursday as only the last third of the debris blocking the tunnel remained to be drilled through before an evacuation pipe could be pushed in and the men pulled to safety.
But they encountered a lattice steel girder arch after covering 45 metres of the estimated 60-metre stretch of debris, which required about six hours to cut and remove, said the official, Bhaskar Khulbe.