The Evening Wrap: Around 40 workers trapped in Uttarakhand tunnel collapse

A portion of an under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway collapsed early on November 12, trapping around 40 workers inside, officials in Uttarkashi district said. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and the police launched a search and rescue operation immediately after being informed of the accident, Superintendent of Police (Uttarkashi) Arpan Yaduvanshi said. Quoting officials from National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, which is building the tunnel, Yaduvanshi had initially put the number of labourers trapped in the tunnel at 36. However, the District Emergency Operation Centre later released a list of 40 labourers trapped inside. They were from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Oxygen is being pumped into the collapsed section of the tunnel, which is part of the Char Dham all-weather road project, through a water pipe so that the trapped labourers do not have difficulty breathing, Yaduvanshi said. The rescue operation has been going on for the past 12 hours but without any breakthrough so far. However, those trapped inside have sent out signals that indicate they are safe, an official at the site said. About 160 rescuers are trying to reach the trapped labourers with the help of drilling equipment and excavators, the District Emergency Operation Centre said. Some more equipment such as a vertical drilling machine are about to reach the site to assist the rescue efforts. India votes in favour of resolution that condemns Israeli settlement activities in ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory’ India voted in favour of a resolution in the U.N. General Assembly that condemns Israeli settlement activities in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory”. The draft resolution titled ‘Israeli settlements in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan’ was approved by the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee) of the U.N. General Assembly by a recorded vote of 145 in favour, seven against and 18 abstentions on November 9. Canada, Hungary, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and the United States voted against the resolution. India was among the 145 nations that voted in favour of the resolution. By the terms of the resolution, the Assembly would condemn settlement activities in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan and any activities involving the confiscation of land, the disruption of the livelihood of protected persons, the forced transfer of civilians and the annexation of land, whether de facto or through national legislation. The resolution “Condemns”… “settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan and any activities involving the confiscation of land, the disruption of the livelihood of protected persons, the forced transfer of civilians and the annexation of land, whether de facto or through national legislation.” The resolution “Reaffirms that the Israeli settlements in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan are illegal and an obstacle to peace and economic and social development.” The resolution reiterated “its demand for the immediate and complete cessation of all Israeli settlement activities in all of the “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.” Eighty fishermen released from Pakistan jail arrive in Gujarat, reunited with kin for Deepavali Eighty fishermen released from a jail in Karachi in Pakistan reached Vadodara in Gujarat by train on November 12, from where they were taken to Veraval in the state’s Gir Somnath district by bus to be reunited with their families for Deepavali, an official said. The fishermen were released by Pakistani authorities on Thursday and were handed over to a team of the State’s fisheries department at the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab the next day, an official release said. They had left the Gujarat coast at regular intervals in 2020 and were held by the maritime forces of Pakistan for allegedly fishing in that country’s waters. Of the 80 fishermen who have been released, 59 are from Gir Somnath district, 15 from Devbhoomi Dwarka, two from Jamnagar, one from Amreli, all in Gujarat, while three are from the Union Territory of Diu, the release said. In May and June this year, the Pakistan government had released nearly 400 Indian fishermen. PM Modi celebrates Deepavali with soldiers in Himachal Pradesh’s Lepcha Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 12 celebrated Deepavali with soldiers in Himachal Pradesh’s Lepcha and hailed the unwavering courage of the security forces. In his post on X, Modi said, “Spending Diwali with our brave security forces in Lepcha, Himachal Pradesh has been an experience filled with deep emotion and pride.” “Away from their families, these guardians of our nation illuminate our lives with their dedication,” he said. India will always be grateful to these heroes who are the perfect embodiment of bravery and resilience, he said in another post. India is fast emerging as a “big global player” in the defence sector and the capabilities of its security forces are constantly rising, Modi said. Addressing the soldiers, Modi said the circumstances of the world are such that the expectations from India are constantly rising. The Prime Minister also hailed the role played by the armed forces in evacuations in earthquake-hit areas and during other calamities. U.N. says ‘significant’ deaths in strike on one of its Gaza compounds The United Nations said several people have been killed and wounded in strikes on a U.N. facility in Gaza City, where hundreds of Palestinians have taken refuge to escape the war. “The shelling has reportedly resulted in a significant number of deaths and injuries,” the United Nations Development Programme said in a statement issued late on November 11. “The ongoing tragedy of death and injury to civilians ensnared in this conflict is unacceptable and must stop.” In a separate incident, AFPTV footage showed a crater in the middle of a compound of a school run by the U.N. agency for supporting Palestinians (UNRWA) in Beit Lahia in north Gaza. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said dozens of bodies were scattered on the streets while ambulances have been unable to reach the deaths due to intense fighting and bombings. In Brief: Ukraine on November 12 said that a blast triggered by “local resistance movements” in the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian city of Melitopol the previous day killed Russian military officers at a headquarters of the occupation authorities. “At least three officers of the Russian guard were eliminated” as a result of the “revenge action, carried out by representatives of the local resistance movement,” the intelligence service of Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said on Telegram. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 12 November 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Tunnel under construction partially collapses in Uttarakhand, 40 workers trapped [A portion of an under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway collapsed]( early on November 12, trapping around 40 workers inside, officials in Uttarkashi district said. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and the police launched a search and rescue operation immediately after being informed of the accident, Superintendent of Police (Uttarkashi) Arpan Yaduvanshi said. Quoting officials from National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, which is building the tunnel, Yaduvanshi had initially put the number of labourers trapped in the tunnel at 36. However, the District Emergency Operation Centre later released a list of 40 labourers trapped inside. They were from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Oxygen is being pumped into the collapsed section of the tunnel, which is part of the Char Dham all-weather road project, through a water pipe so that the trapped labourers do not have difficulty breathing, Yaduvanshi said. The rescue operation has been going on for the past 12 hours but without any breakthrough so far. However, those trapped inside have sent out signals that indicate they are safe, an official at the site said. About 160 rescuers are trying to reach the trapped labourers with the help of drilling equipment and excavators, the District Emergency Operation Centre said. Some more equipment such as a vertical drilling machine are about to reach the site to assist the rescue efforts. India votes in favour of resolution that condemns Israeli settlement activities in ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory’ [India voted in favour of a resolution in the U.N. General Assembly that condemns Israeli settlement activities]( in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory”. The draft resolution titled ‘Israeli settlements in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan’ was approved by the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee) of the U.N. General Assembly by a recorded vote of 145 in favour, seven against and 18 abstentions on November 9. Canada, Hungary, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and the United States voted against the resolution. India was among the 145 nations that voted in favour of the resolution. By the terms of the resolution, the Assembly would condemn settlement activities in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan and any activities involving the confiscation of land, the disruption of the livelihood of protected persons, the forced transfer of civilians and the annexation of land, whether de facto or through national legislation. The resolution “Condemns”… “settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan and any activities involving the confiscation of land, the disruption of the livelihood of protected persons, the forced transfer of civilians and the annexation of land, whether de facto or through national legislation.” The resolution “Reaffirms that the Israeli settlements in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan are illegal and an obstacle to peace and economic and social development.” The resolution reiterated “its demand for the immediate and complete cessation of all Israeli settlement activities in all of the “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.” Eighty fishermen released from Pakistan jail arrive in Gujarat, reunited with kin for Deepavali [Eighty fishermen released from a jail in Karachi in Pakistan reached Vadodara in Gujarat by train on November 12]( from where they were taken to Veraval in the state’s Gir Somnath district by bus to be reunited with their families for Deepavali, an official said. The fishermen were released by Pakistani authorities on Thursday and were handed over to a team of the State’s fisheries department at the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab the next day, an official release said. They had left the Gujarat coast at regular intervals in 2020 and were held by the maritime forces of Pakistan for allegedly fishing in that country’s waters. Of the 80 fishermen who have been released, 59 are from Gir Somnath district, 15 from Devbhoomi Dwarka, two from Jamnagar, one from Amreli, all in Gujarat, while three are from the Union Territory of Diu, the release said. In May and June this year, the Pakistan government had released nearly 400 Indian fishermen. PM Modi celebrates Deepavali with soldiers in Himachal Pradesh’s Lepcha [Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 12 celebrated Deepavali with soldiers in Himachal Pradesh’s Lepcha]( and hailed the unwavering courage of the security forces. In his post on X, Modi said, “Spending Diwali with our brave security forces in Lepcha, Himachal Pradesh has been an experience filled with deep emotion and pride.” “Away from their families, these guardians of our nation illuminate our lives with their dedication,” he said. India will always be grateful to these heroes who are the perfect embodiment of bravery and resilience, he said in another post. India is fast emerging as a “big global player” in the defence sector and the capabilities of its security forces are constantly rising, Modi said. Addressing the soldiers, Modi said the circumstances of the world are such that the expectations from India are constantly rising. The Prime Minister also hailed the role played by the armed forces in evacuations in earthquake-hit areas and during other calamities. U.N. says ‘significant’ deaths in strike on one of its Gaza compounds The United Nations said [several people have been killed and wounded in strikes on a U.N. facility in Gaza City]( where hundreds of Palestinians have taken refuge to escape the war. “The shelling has reportedly resulted in a significant number of deaths and injuries,” the United Nations Development Programme said in a statement issued late on November 11. “The ongoing tragedy of death and injury to civilians ensnared in this conflict is unacceptable and must stop.” In a separate incident, AFPTV footage showed a crater in the middle of a compound of a school run by the U.N. agency for supporting Palestinians (UNRWA) in Beit Lahia in north Gaza. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said dozens of bodies were scattered on the streets while ambulances have been unable to reach the deaths due to intense fighting and bombings. In Brief: [Ukraine on November 12 said that a blast triggered by “local resistance movements” in the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian city of Melitopol the previous day killed Russian military officers]( at a headquarters of the occupation authorities. “At least three officers of the Russian guard were eliminated” as a result of the “revenge action, carried out by representatives of the local resistance movement,” the intelligence service of Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said on Telegram. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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