First visuals of 41 trapped workers in Uttarkashi tunnel surfaces

The first images of workers trapped inside the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi were released on Tuesday morning.

The visuals were captured using an endoscopic camera sent in through an alternative six-inch-wide food pipeline. On Monday, rescuers had managed to push this pipeline through the debris of the collapsed tunnel, which has allowed for the delivery of larger quantities of food and live images of the 41 workers who have been trapped inside for over a week.

In the footage, workers can be seen wearing yellow and white helmets, receiving food items delivered through the pipeline and conversing with each other. Anshu Manish Khalkho, Director of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), had previously mentioned the plan to use cameras to monitor the condition of the workers.

The camera is now being utilised to count the number of trapped workers and to understand the internal layout of the tunnel.