Rescue efforts aim to save workers in flooded tunnel

Rescuers were attempting to save 14 workers trapped in a tunnel in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, at noon on Thursday, local authorities said.

More than 1,000 rescuers, 22 fire trucks and five high-capacity water pump vehicles were sent to the site.

Meanwhile, after the Guangdong Provincial Department of Emergency Management sent a rescue group to the construction site, a headquarters facility was established to help direct efforts and prevent a recurrence of the water breakout that trapped the workers.

Guangdong's Governor Ma Xingrui, Executive Vice-Governor Lin Keqing and Zhuhai Party Secretary Guo Yonghang also arrived in the scene to encourage and direct the rescuers.

Barricades in the middle of the roads near the scene were removed to ease the way for rescue vehicles. Residents living near the construction site have been evacuated to safe areas.

The Shijingshan tunnel, part of the southern section of Zhuhai's Xingye Expressway, flooded at about 3:30 am on Thursday. The 1.77-kilometer tunnel is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022. Construction started in 2019.