Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and several other leaders have expressed their happiness over the successful operation to rescue all 41 workers from an under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand.

The lobourers, including five from Odisha, got trapped inside the tunnel when a portion of it collapsed on November 12.

The labourers spent almost 17 days in the tunnel before they were rescued in a joint operation involving Indian Army, NDRF, SDRF and many other agencies and experts having expertise in handling such situation.

“I feel relieved and happy to learn that all the workers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand have been rescued. Their travails over 17 days, as the rescue effort met with obstacles, have been a testament of human endurance. The nation salutes their resilience and remains grateful to them for building critical infrastructure, even at great personal risk, far away from their homes. 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,” said the President in a Twitter (X) post.

The successful rescue operation at Uttarakhand has made the people of India emotional, said the Prime Minister. “We all are inspired by the courage and patience of the trapped workers. I wish good health for them,” said the PM in a twitter post. The Prime Minister also praised the efforts of all those involved in the rescue operation.

Patnaik thanked various agencies involved in the rescue operation. “It gives me immense pleasure to learn about the successful rescue operation and I am very happy that our workers will return home safe,” he said.

(IANS)