Rescuers send more food to trapped workers in Indian tunnel

The men were already receiving nuts, puffed rice, chickpeas and other dry food items via a pipe. The district chief medical officer RCS Panwar said three of them have complained of dysentery.

Rescuers are exploring five new plans to pull out the workers after a machine drilling horizontally into the debris, to create space for the men to come out, developed a snag and a sudden “cracking sound” during efforts to restart it caused panic.

The new plans include drilling vertically from the top of the mountain, which rescuers hope can start by Tuesday as they await the arrival of machinery, said Jasvant Kapoor, a general manager at state-run company SJVN, which is involved in the rescue efforts.

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

Fifty to 60 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.