Rescuers trying to reach workers trapped for nearly a week in a collapsed highway tunnel in the Indian Himalayas are working to replace the main digging machine on Saturday to restart operations after they hit a snag.

The disaster management office revised the number of people trapped since Sunday morning in the tunnel in Uttarakhand state to 41, up from 40. All are safe, the authorities have said.

The augur machine drilling through the debris broke on Friday.

A new machine flown in from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, has reached the site, Anshu Malik Halko, director at state-run National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDC) told Reuters.

“We will first bring out the defunct machine from inside and then deploy the new one. This will take time and I cannot comment on the timeline. It’s a delicate and risky operation,” Halko said.

Members of rescue teams stand at the entrance of a tunnel where road workers are trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 17, 2023.—Reuters/Shankar Prasad Nautiyal
Members of rescue teams stand at the entrance of a tunnel where road workers are trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 17, 2023.—Reuters/Shankar Prasad Nautiyal

Authorities have not said what caused the 4.5-km tunnel to cave in, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.

Fifty to sixty workers were on the overnight shift at the time of the collapse, and those near the exit got out of the tunnel on the national highway that is part of the Char Dham Hindu pilgrimage route.

Work was suspended on Friday after a “large-scale cracking sound” was heard as rescue workers sought to restart the drilling machine, according to a report from NHIDC.

Close to 100 tunnel workers gathered at the site on Saturday, demanding faster progress in reaching and freeing those trapped.

Vishnu Sahu, a labourer who was leading the protest, said the rescue team is keeping workers in the dark about the pace of progress of the rescue.

“We want the top people of the company to come here,” Sahu said.

Opinion

Editorial

US asylum freeze
Updated 05 Dec, 2025

US asylum freeze

IT is clear that the Trump administration is using last week’s shooting incident, in which two National Guard...
Colours of Basant
05 Dec, 2025

Colours of Basant

THE mood in Lahore is unmistakably festive as the city prepares for Basant’s colourful kites to once again dot the...
Karachi’s death holes
05 Dec, 2025

Karachi’s death holes

THE lidless manholes in Karachi lay bare the failure of the city administration to provide even the bare necessities...
Protection for all
Updated 04 Dec, 2025

Protection for all

ACHIEVING true national cohesion is not possible unless Pakistanis of all confessional backgrounds are ensured their...
Growing trade gap
04 Dec, 2025

Growing trade gap

PAKISTAN’S merchandise exports have been experiencing a pronounced decline for the last several months, with...
Playing both sides
04 Dec, 2025

Playing both sides

THERE has been yet another change in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. The PML-N’s regional...