Trapped workers at tunnel collapse in Vietnam alive, rescue work underway

Twelve workers trapped Tuesday in a tunnel collapse in Vietnam's central highlands Lam Dong province are alive and in good health condition, and rescue operation is still underway, local media reported Wednesday.

Among the 12 victims, there is one woman, said Vietnam's state- run news agency VNA, adding that rescue team has made contact with the trapped workers inside, and food and milk were transferred via a pipeline drilled through rock and dirt. Oxygen is also pumped into the trapped area to help them breathe.

On Tuesday morning, up to 12 workers were working inside a tunnel which is designed to be around 700 meters in length at the construction site of Da Dang-Da Chomo hydro-power project in Lam Dong.

Construction of some 600 meters of the tunnel had been completed when the accident happened. The collapse position is around 500 meters away from the tunnel entrance. The tunnel is five meters high and four meters wide.

The cause of the collapse remains unknown while some officials said the accident was attributed to weak geological formations.

Earlier on Tuesday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung dispatched an urgent note requiring all necessary measures to be taken to rescue the trapped workers. Enditem