Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Odisha govt official speaks to trapped state labourers

Bhubaneswar: After an under-construction tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, a representative from the Odisha government's Labour department interacted with the state's trapped workers.

Out of the forty workers who are trapped there, five are labourers from Odisha.

“We have sent two officials to Uttarkashi, who are coordinating with the local administration and line agencies for safe rescue of the workers. One of our officials talked to the trapped labourers through the pipe laid down there for communication” said an official of the Labour Department.

The labourers said that they were safe and doing fine. Water and food are being supplied to them. It was expected that the workers would be rescued soon, he said.

The labour officials will camp there till the completion of the rescue operation and bring them back to Odisha.

The workers from Odisha have been identified as Tapan Mandal &, Bhagban Batra from Nabarangpur, Biseswar Nayak, Dhiren, and Raju Nayak from Mayurbhanj district.

With PTI inputs