UTTARKASHI: Rescue workers broke through the 60-metre stretch of rubble in Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand on Tuesday, ending the ordeal of 41 workers trapped inside for 16 days.
A senior Uttarakhand official at the site said drilling was complete.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami took to Twitter and said, "Work of inserting the pipe inside the tunnel is complete. All the workers will be rescued soon."
Asked by reporters, NHIDCL managing director Mahmood Ahmed did not immediately confirm the development but said the last section of the escape pipe was being pushed through the drilled passage.
A portion of the tunnel collapsed on November 12, blocking the exit of 41 workers inside.