Trapped Indian tunnel workers kept alive by hope

Hailed as heroes, the 41 men recall horror of their 7-day ordeal and how they survived

India – After 17 days trapped inside a collapsed Himalayan road tunnel they were building, the 41 Indian workers rescued described the horror of their ordeal, and the hopes and prayers that kept them strong.

“We were really scared, every moment (we) felt that death was standing nearby,” rescued worker Deepak Kumar told AFP on Nov 29. “We were not sure whether our lives would be saved or not.”

The men were welcomed as heroes after being hauled through 57m of steel pipe on stretchers specially fitted with wheels late on Nov 28, the culmination of a marathon engineering operation.

Draped in garlands of orange marigolds, they were greeted with wild cheers.

“The world is again beautiful for us,” rescued worker Sabah Ahmad told AFP, describing the heartache of hearing his wife’s “worried and hopeless” voice while he was trapped.

“I know it was a difficult moment for those inside and more difficult for families outside,” said Mr Ahmad, who comes from Bihar, one of India’s poorest states. “But at last we have come out, and it is the only thing that matters.”

His wife Musarrat Jahan, speaking to AFP by phone from Bihar, said that “no words” could explain how happy she felt.

“Not only my husband got a new life, we also got a new life,” she said. “We will never forget it.”