Emergency crews rescued 12 tunnellers on 23 May after they were trapped for six days by a cave-in on a 1.6km long rail tunnel being built in Yunnan, China.
Eleven of the tunnellers were able to walk out after rescuers dug through a 55m long pile of debris. The 12th worker was brought out by stretcher. They survived on food and milk supplied through the tunnel’s ventilation duct.
The collapse occurred on 17 May at about 10.30pm. The tunnel was being built as part of a US$453M project to double track the railway between Kunming and Zhanyi that will require 146km of new rail line.