UPDATE 2 - After 17 days, India begins pulling out 41 trapped workers from collapsed tunnel

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By Anadolu staff

NEW DELHI (AA) - After 17 days of efforts, rescue teams in Himalayan India have begun pulling out 41 workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel, officials said on Tuesday.

Before the workers were rescued, ambulances and medical teams arrived at the incident site in the state of Uttarakhand. A temporary medical facility has been set up at the mouth of the tunnel, according to officials.

Eight of the trapped workers have been pulled out and are undergoing initial health check-up.

Earlier today, teams completed laying rescue pipes in the Silkyara Tunnel.

A massive rescue operation was launched in the state's Uttarkashi district on Nov. 12 when the under-construction Silkyara Tunnel collapsed, cutting the 41 workers off from the rest of the tunnel, kept alive only through supplies sent through a pipe.

The rescue operation had been marred by multiple glitches, delaying the workers’ rescue. Earlier, an estimated 60 meters (197 feet) of debris needed to be cleared to push through a pipe, to reach the trapped workers, according to rescue officials

The authorities brought in men called “rat miners” who began drilling through the rocks and gravel by hand on Monday evening.

Rat miners drill manually mostly in narrow passages and work mostly in mines.