Ground report update: Rescue team upbeat despite the odds

Puthiya Thalaimurai correspondent Niranjan, who is reporting from the rescue spot, said that though enthusiasm does flag a bit when the operation hits obstacles, the rescue team is mostly upbeat.

An Auger machine is being used to drill in pipes, cutting through copious amounts of debris, to bring the 41 workers out. There are iron rods from the tunnel construction work that are impeding the insertion of the rescue pipes, he said.

Once the rescue pipes are well in place, NDRF personnel may go in with oxygen cylinders to bring out the workers one by one, said the correspondent. Low-height stretchers are being readied to bring the workers out through the freshly inserted pipes.

After the pipes are put in, bringing out all the 41 workers is expected to take around three hours, he added.