Tunnel rescue mission discussed at Cabinet meet; PM was very emotional: Thakur

A successful operation to rescue 41 workers trapped in an under-construction road tunnel in Uttarakhand culminated on Tuesday night.

The Uttarakhand tunnel rescue mission came up for discussion during the meeting of the Union Cabinet on Tuesday night, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was ''very emotional'', Union minister Anurag Thakur said on Wednesday.

Briefing reporters on the decisions taken by the Union Cabinet, Thakur said there was ''whole of government'' approach and every effort was made to save every life.

Amid election campaign, the prime minister used to get updates at least twice a day from various sources, including Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, he said in response to a question. A successful operation to rescue 41 workers trapped in an under-construction road tunnel in Uttarakhand culminated on Tuesday night. A portion of the under-construction tunnel on Uttarakhand's Char Dham route collapsed on November 12, blocking the exit of the workers who were inside.

Food, medicines and other essentials were sent to them through a six-inch pipe pushed through the debris.