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All 41 workers have been rescued from a collapsed tunnel in India after being trapped for more than two weeks.

“I am completely happy and relieved,” India’s highways minister, Nitin Gadkari, said as he praised rescue workers for their efforts.

A crowd of locals shouted slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai,” or “Long live mother India,” and set off firecrackers as the trapped workers emerged from the collapsed tunnel in India’s Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

Follow latest: Reaction as workers rescued from tunnel in India

Pushkar Singh Dhami, the top elected official in the state, hung a garland of marigold flowers around the neck of the first worker as he emerged after 17 days.

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First video of rescued worker in India

Pushkar Singh Dhami, right, Chief Minister of the state of Uttarakhand, greeting a worker rescued from the site of an under-construction road tunnel that collapsed in Uttarakhand, India
Pic:Uttarakhand State Department/AP
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The chief minister of the state of Uttarakhand (right), greeting a rescued worker
Pic:Uttarakhand State Department/AP

Pushkar Singh Dhami, right, Chief Minister of the state of Uttarakhand, greeting a worker rescued from the site of an under-construction road tunnel that collapsed in Uttarakhand, India
Pic:Uttarakhand State Department/AP
Image:
Pic:Uttarakhand State Department/AP

‘An amazing example of humanity and teamwork’

India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, praised the “courage and patience” of the workers and their families, as well as those involved in the rescue.

“It is a matter of great satisfaction that after a long wait, these friends of ours will now meet their loved ones,” he wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“I also salute the spirit of all the people associated with this rescue operation. Everyone involved in this mission has set an amazing example of humanity and teamwork.”

India’s president, Droupadi Murmu, said she felt “relieved and happy” at the news.

“The nation salutes their resilience and remains grateful to them for building critical infrastructure, even at great personal risk, far away from their homes,” she wrote in a post on X.

“I congratulate the teams and all experts who have acted with incredible grit and determination to perform one of the most difficult rescue missions in history.”

Ambulances were lined up at the mouth of the tunnel to take the men to a hospital about 19 miles (30km) away for check-ups.

Wakil Hassan, a rescue team leader, described the condition of the workers as “first-class and absolutely fine… just
like yours or mine”.

How the rescue operation played out

The labourers became stuck after a highway tunnel in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand collapsed earlier this month.

A graphic showing how the workers became trapped in the tunnel in India
Image:
A graphic showing how the workers became trapped in the tunnel in India

The tunnel is part of the £1.2bn Char Dham highway, being built to connect four Hindu pilgrimage sites through a 500-mile network of roads.

So-called rat miners were brought in to drill through rocks and gravel by hand after a large drilling machine broke down.

Once the men had been reached, three teams of four rescuers were sent in to help pull out the workers on wheeled stretchers through a 3-foot-wide steel pipe which rescuers had pushed through dirt and rocks.

One of the trapped workers is checked out after he was rescued from the collapsed tunnel site in Uttarkashi in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 28, 2023. Uttarkashi District Information Officer/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
Workers rescued from tunnel

The men had been receiving food, water, light, oxygen and medicines through a smaller pipe, which was installed to provide supplies as they awaited rescue.

‘Workers likely to develop PTSD’

While trapped, the workers had 2km of space within the tunnel to walk around in and were encouraged to talk to each other, tell stories, do yoga, take light exercise and play board games sent into them.

However, a senior mental health doctor said some of the men were likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from their ordeal.

Inside the rescue of 40 workers trapped underground in a tunnel in nothern India
Image:
Rescue workers installed a pipe in which they were able to send food and supplies through

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“All 41 would experience some post-traumatic symptoms like insomnia, recurrent bad dreams, recurrent reliving of the tunnel collapse, anxiety,” said Dr Dinakaran Damodharan from the state-run National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences.

“Not everyone will have the disorder, but most will suffer from these symptoms for, say, three to six months.”

A concrete block is carried into the tunnel where rescue operations are underway to rescue trapped workers
Image:
The outside of the tunnel which collapsed in Uttarakhand

Dr Damodharan said they should be checked for at least a year and may have enduring changes to their personality.

While authorities have not said what caused the collapse, there have previously been landslides, earthquakes and floods in the area.

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Dublin Airport terminal evacuated as ‘safety precaution’

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Dublin Airport terminal evacuated as 'safety precaution'

Passengers have been evacuated from Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 as a “precautionary measure”. 

Flights could be “temporarily impacted”, the airport said in a statement.

It did not give any details about the reason for the evacuation but said “the safety and security of our passengers and staff is our absolute priority”.

At this stage there is no suggestion the evacuation is linked to the cyber attack that has caused disruption at several European airports.

“We advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest updates,” the airport added, saying further information would be provided as soon as it is available.

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At least 70 killed in Sudan after paramilitary attack on mosque

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At least 70 killed in Sudan after paramilitary attack on mosque

At least 70 people have been killed after a paramilitary drone attack on a mosque in Sudan.

The Sudanese army and aid workers said the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the attack during Friday prayers in the North Darfur region.

The attack took place in the besieged city of Al Fasher and was said to have completely destroyed the mosque.

With bodies still buried under the rubble, the number of deaths is likely to rise, a worker with the local aid group Emergency Response Rooms said.

The worker spoke anonymously, fearing retaliation from the RSF.

Further details of the attack were difficult to ascertain because it took place in an area where many international and charitable organisations have already pulled out because of the violence.

In a statement, Sudan’s army said it was mourning the victims of the attack.

It said: “Targeting civilians unjustly is the motto of this rebel militia, and it continues to do so in full view of the entire world.”

Sky News Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir reported earlier this month on the situation in North Darfur, where people are facing torture, rape and forced starvation.

The Sudan war started in April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the RSF broke out in Khartoum.

The US special envoy to Sudan estimates that 150,000 people have been killed, but the exact figure is unknown. Close to 12 million people have been displaced.

Several mediation attempts have failed to secure a humanitarian access mechanism or any lulls in fighting.

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The Resistance Committees in El Fasher, a group of local activists who track abuses, posted a video on Friday claiming to show parts of the mosque reduced to rubble with several scattered bodies.

The Darfur Victims Support Organisation, which monitors abuses against civilians, said the attack happened at a mosque on the Daraga al Oula street at around 5am local time, citing witnesses.

The attack is the latest in a series of heavy clashes in the past week of between the two sides in Al Fasher.

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Less camp, more conservative – welcome to Russia’s alternative Eurovision

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Less camp, more conservative - welcome to Russia's alternative Eurovision

Banned from Eurovision after its invasion of Ukraine, Russia will hold a rival international song contest on Saturday, with an emphasis on “traditional values”.

Instead of camp, think conservative – patriotic pop with a PG-rating.

“Intervision” was launched under the order of Vladimir Putin, with the hope it would serve as an expression of Moscow’s international pulling power.

Intervision decorations in  Red Square, Moscow, ahead of the contest
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Intervision decorations in Red Square, Moscow, ahead of the contest

There are contestants from 23 countries, which are a mixture of Russia’s allies old and new, including Belarus, Cuba and Tajikistan as well as China, India and Saudi Arabia.

The odd one out is the United States, who’ll be represented by an artist called “Vassy”. She’s not part of an official delegation, but an American voice is still a coup for the Kremlin, which will seek to use this contest as proof of the West’s failure to isolate Russia on the global stage.

‘War whitewash’

Intervision is not entirely new. It was originally launched in the 1960s as an instrument of Soviet soft power, before largely fading from view in the 1980s.

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According to Moscow, its revival has nothing to do with politics. But Ukraine has condemned it as propaganda, and an attempt to whitewash Russia’s war.

It was a point I put to some contestants after their final press conferences, but it didn’t go down well.

“We don’t think like that, we are here to spread peace,” India’s Rauhan Malik told me, when I asked if his participation was a show of support for Russia’s invasion.

Malik, one of the contestants
Image:
Malik, one of the contestants

“Are you not turning a blind eye to Russia’s aggression?” I countered.

“I have no idea about it,” he said. “I have no idea about the current situation that’s happening. I don’t want to speak about that as well.”

Eurovision legends Abba would almost certainly not make the Russian contest guest list. Pic: AP
Image:
Eurovision legends Abba would almost certainly not make the Russian contest guest list. Pic: AP

Really? He had no idea? But before I could go on, I felt a forceful hand on my shoulder and a minder stepped in.

The intervention was even quicker when it came to speaking to Brazil’s act. As soon as I mentioned the word Ukraine, I was drowned out by shouts of “no, no, no, no” and the duo were ushered away.

Brazilian contestants, duo Luciano Calazans and Thais Nader
Image:
Brazilian contestants, duo Luciano Calazans and Thais Nader

Where’s the glitter?

Intervision is not just a reaction to Russia’s recent exclusion from Eurosivion, however, it’s also a reaction to the contest’s values and what it’s come to represent.

Its celebration of sexual diversity and LGBTQ+ rights are seen as a symbol of what the Kremlin calls the West’s moral decline. In contrast, Intervision organisers say their contest will promote “traditional, family values.”

Judging by the costumes on show ahead of last week’s draw, that translates to less glitter, more embroidery, with a thematic emphasis on national heritage.

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So what do Russians think of Intervision’s resurrection? Can it replace Eurovision?

“We don’t miss Eurovision,” Galina and Tatiana say, underneath a collection of purple and pink ‘Intervision’ flags near Red Square.

“It was so horrible, especially lately. We didn’t like watching it at all.”

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Why are countries boycotting Eurovision?

Polina agrees, believing Russia’s version will be “more interesting”.

“Many countries that participated in Eurovision want to boycott it, so it’s interesting to see a more peaceful event now,” she says.

Igor is more circumspect. “I’d like to believe that this isn’t a political event,” he says, “but rather an event that unites nations and people.”

Intervision will succeed in uniting some nations. But at the same time, it may only deepen divisions with others – further evidence that Russia and the West are singing very different tunes.

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