Smiles, Selfies And Meals: Exclusive Pics Of Workers Inside Uttarakhand Tunnel

Mounds of apples, oranges, bananas, and bottles formed inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi as 41 workers waited to be pulled out after a cave-in on November 12.

After their rescue on Tuesday, NDTV has accessed images and videos of the 17 days they spent inside the collapsed tunnel.

Videos show piles of fruits, more than they could consume, and plastic bottles that appear to be taped up. These were pushed into the tunnel through a pipe. The bottles were used to provide dry fruits and hot khichdi to the trapped workers.In photos, the workers can be seen enjoying meals including roti, vegetables, and rice. 

They are also seen gathered around foil-wrapped packages, or consuming bread and milk.

The workers are seen in selfies and pictures with the collapsed tunnel in the background.

The men were trapped after a section of the tunnel collapsed. They were evacuated after a multi-agency rescue operation that came to fruition after rat-hole miners dug a hole through. All 41 were extricated using 57 metres of steel pipe on stretchers fitted with wheels.

Under medical observation for a night at a community health centre, the workers were on Wednesday airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh, where they were examined and declared fit to go home.

Briefing the media on their health condition, Dr Ravikant, head of general medicine department, said that the workers were thoroughly examined and their blood test, X-ray and ECG reports were normal.

"They are physically normal and clinically stable. We have given them clearance to return home," he was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

One of the workers had stayed back at the facility for treatment of a congenital medical condition, Dr Ravikant said. The worker, from Uttarakhand, has been diagnosed with Atrial Septal Defect, an anomaly that is present at birth, he said.