Forty workers were trapped in a collapsed road tunnel in northern India for a seventh day Saturday as rescuers waited for a new machine to drill through the rubble so they could crawl to their freedom. On Friday, the drilling was interrupted when some machine bearings became damaged by the breaking of rocks and clearing of debris, officials said, adding a new challenge to the long-drawn rescue efforts. A new machine was expected to reach the accident site later Saturday, allowing rescuers to start drilling again, said Vijay Singh, an officer at the control room. Authorities began drilling into the rubble and debris on Thursday and have so far covered a stretch of 24 meters (79 feet), said Devendra Patwal, a disaster management official, said. It may require up to 60 meters (197 feet) to enable the trapped workers' escape, Patwal told The Associated Press on Friday. Foreign secretary-level bilateral meeting with India likely in Delhi next week Earlier, the rescuers had hoped to complete the drilling by Friday night and create an escape tunnel of pipes welded together. But rescue efforts hit a snag after a loud cracking sound came from within the tunnel, startling the authorities, who paused the drilling after they found parts of the machine damaged, Tarun Kumar Baidya, director at the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, said from the accident site. As the rescue operation stretched into its seventh day, families of those trapped were frustrated and angry. Relatives from various states have spent nights near the tunnel, seeking updates. The recent setback has only exacerbated their worries. Krishna Patel, whose 20-year-old nephew is among the trapped, had hoped to see his relative on Friday. "The administration keeps changing the timeline for when they may be rescued. It's very frustrating," he said. Bangladesh's growth is India's growth: Shringla Some of the workers felt fever and body aches Wednesday, but officials have said there has been no deterioration in their condition. Nuts, roasted chickpeas, popcorn and medicine are being sent to them via a pipe every two hours. Patwal said two doctors at the accident site were in regular contact with the trapped workers to ensure their physical and mental well-being. "We are trying our best to keep the spirit of the trapped laborers high because it is a trying time for all — the rescuers as well as the trapped people," he said. The construction workers have been trapped since Sunday when a landslide caused a portion of the 4.5-kilometer (2.8-mile) tunnel they were building to collapse about 200 meters (650 feet) from the entrance. The hilly area is prone to landslides and subsidence. The site is in Uttarakhand, a mountainous state dotted with Hindu temples that attract many pilgrims and tourists. Highway and building construction has been constant to accommodate the influx. The tunnel is part of the busy Chardham all-weather road, a flagship federal project connecting various Hindu pilgrimage sites. It's up to Bangladeshis, their democratic system, says India about polls About 200 disaster relief personnel have been at the site using drilling equipment and excavators in the rescue operation, with the plan to push 80-centimeter-wide (2.6-foot-wide) steel pipes through an opening of excavated debris. A machine used earlier in the week was slow in pushing the pipes through the debris, a state government statement said. It was replaced with an American Auger machine with a drilling capacity of up to 5 meters (16 feet) per hour and is equipped with a 99-centimeter (3.2-foot) diameter pipe to clear debris. Rescuers are waiting for another American Auger to replace the damaged one. State officials have contacted Thai experts who helped rescue a youth soccer team trapped in a cave in Thailand in 2018, state government administrator Gaurav Singh said. They also have approached the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute for possible help.

At least 26 people have been killed when a bus carrying pilgrims veered off a mountainous road and fell into a deep gorge in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, officials said Monday. The accident occurred late on Sunday evening in the state's Uttarakashi district. "The bus was carrying 30 pilgrims from the central state of Madhya Pradesh to the holy town of Yamunotri in Uttarakhand when it plunged into the 250-metre-deep gorge," a senior police officer said. Also read: Missing youth from Kuakata sea beach found in India Some 26 bodies have been recovered from the accident site so far, according to a local disaster management official. "The bodies are being sent to Dehradun from where they will be sent to Madhya Pradesh. The body of the bus helper has been kept at the local community health centre," district disaster management officer Devendra Patwal told the media. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a compensation of Rs two lakh each to the families of those killed in the bus accident and Rs 50,000 to the injured. "A probe has been ordered into the accident," the police officer said. Also read: 12 killed in India chemical factory fire Road accidents are very common in India, with one taking place every four minutes. These accidents are often blamed on poor roads, rash driving and scant regard for traffic laws. The Indian government's implementation of stricter traffic laws in recent years has failed to rein in accidents, which claim over 100,000 lives every year.

India's first Grass Conservatory was established in Uttarakhand's Ranikhet town in an area of three acres, funded under the Central Government's CAMPA scheme. The conservatory was developed in three years and has been developed by the Research Wing of the Uttarakhand Forest Department, reports ANI. Read:Indian government is revamping aquaculture for a ‘blue revolution’ Around 100 different grass species have been conserved/demonstrated in this conservation area. Sanjiv Chaturvedi, Chief Conservator of Forest said, "The project aims to create awareness about the importance of grass species, promote conservation, and to facilitate further research in these species." "It has been proved in the latest researches that grasslands are more effective in carbon sequestration than forest land," Chaturvedi said. He further stressed that grasslands are facing various types of threats and areas under grasslands are shrinking, thereby endangering the entire ecosystem of insects, birds and mammals dependent on them. "Grasses are economically the most important of all flowering plants because of their nutritious grains and soil-forming function," he said. Read: India opens to vaccinated foreign tourists after 18 months The conservation area has seven different sections of grasses as Aromatic, Medicinal, Fodder, Ornamental, Religiously important Grasses and Agricultural Grasses. Thysanoleanamaxima also called Tiger grass / Broom grass- an important fodder grass found along steep hills, ravines, and sandy banks of rivers up to an altitude of 2000 m, in Uttarakhand. Its dry flowering stocks are used as a broom. Being a perennial species it can be used as green fodder round the year and also helps in preventing soil erosion on steep hillsides and is used in rehabilitation of degraded land. Pennisetumpurpureum also called Napier grass / Elephant grass- makes a good contour hedgerow and is an excellent bank and pasture fodder. Used for firebreaks, windbreaks in paper pulps production and bio-oil, biogas and charcoal.

As many as 23 people have died in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy post-monsoon showers in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the past two days, officials said on Tuesday. Of the deaths, 16 occurred in the district of Nainital on Tuesday. "Seven people were killed after the wall of a house collapsed in Nainital, following a cloudburst in the district. Some people are also missing in the district," a senior government official told the media. The Indian Army has been carrying out relief and rescue operations alongside the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the local police. Three Army choppers have been pressed into action in the most-affected areas of the state. Also read: Floods, landslides kill at least 28 people in southern India Earlier in the day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and took stock of the situation in the hilly state. The Chief Minister also conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas. "The CM has directed all district magistrates to complete the assessment of crop damage to farmers and send reports at the earliest," the government said in a statement. Uttarakhand and the southern Indian state of Kerala have been witnessing the heaviest post-monsoon showers this year. In Kerala, at least 28 people have died since Saturday. Some people are still missing in the southern state, according to officials. Also read: 21 dead in India floods & landslides The deaths in Kerala occurred mostly in Kottayam and Idukki districts, where several houses were swept away following flooding and landslides on Saturday, rendering hundreds of people homeless. The displaced people are housed in makeshift camps. Three years ago, in August 2018, over 400 people died in Kerala in what was touted as the state's worst flooding in a century.

Rescuers in northern India were working Monday to rescue more than three dozen power plant workers trapped in a tunnel after part of a Himalayan glacier broke off and sent a wall of water and debris rushing down the mountain in a disaster that has left 18 people dead and 165 missing.

The death toll in Sunday's glacier burst in north India has risen to 14, even as the number of missing persons swelled to over 200, confirmed official sources on Monday.