Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to rescued workers over telephone on Tuesday (November 28) after they successfully came out from a collapsed tunnel after a 17-day long survival battle.

The evacuation of the 41 men began more than six hours after rescuers broke through the debris in the tunnel in Uttarakhand state, which caved in on Nov. 12.

“We were 41 members, and all were from different states…we were all like brothers,” Saba Ahmed, one of the 41 rescued workers said.

The worker also told PM Modi that they used to go for walks inside the tunnel and did yoga in the morning which helped them to stay fit.

PM Modi congratulated workers on being rescued and praised their determination and patience.

The workers were pulled out on wheeled stretchers through a 90 cm (3 feet) wide steel pipe, with the entire process being completed in about an hour.

Rescued workers are currently in a local medical facility and are expected to travel to their home states after doctors clear them.

Indian newspapers on Wednesday (November 29) carried banner headlines after the country successfully rescued 41 workers trapped in an under-construction tunnel in northern Uttarakhand state.

From “They're coming home” to “A mountain moved, 41 rescued,” newspaper headlines hailed rescuers and officials for rescuing the workers from the tunnel.

The tunnel is part of the $1.5 billion Char Dham highway, one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's most ambitious projects, aimed at connecting four Hindu pilgrimage sites through an 890- km network of roads.

Authorities have not said what caused the cave-in but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.

(Reuters)