Drilling Snag Delays Rescue of 41 Men in Indian Tunnel

Hindu priests pray at a makeshift shrine outside the entrance of a tunnel where workers are trapped in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, on Nov. 23, 2023. Shankar Prasad Nautiyal/Reuters

SILKYARA, India—Hopes for the imminent rescue of 41 men trapped in a highway tunnel in the Indian Himalayas for nearly two weeks were dashed by a problem with the drilling equipment, officials said on Friday, but efforts to reach the workers should resume soon.

The men, construction workers from some of India’s poorest states, have been confined in the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on Nov. 12. Authorities have said they are safe, with access to light, oxygen, food, water, and medicines.