Rescuers in India pulled all 41 trapped tunnel construction workers to safety, ending their harrowing 17-day ordeal stuck beneath piles of mountainous rock and rubble.
India TV reports that all the workers trapped in the tunnel were plucked to safety as nightfall descended on the site.
Of the dramatic rescue, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “I am extremely happy that the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel have been successfully rescued. All the agencies under the leadership of PMO [Prime Minister’s Office] have worked day and night. I want to extend my best wishes to the workers who have been rescued. I also want to thank the workers who have helped in the rescue operation. A safety audit of the tunnel will also be done now[.]”
Video footage posted online shows the jubilant scenes where the exhausted workers gasped for their freedom for the first time in more than two weeks.
The mountainous topography has several Hindu temples that attract pilgrims and tourists.
The Indian government said an audit of the tunnel will now be carried out.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
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