Rescue continues for 13 trapped in China tunnel collapse

Rescuers were working around the clock Wednesday to save 13 workers trapped for 72 hours after a tunnel under construction collapsed.

The tunnel on a highway in Tongren City in southwest China's Guizhou Province collapsed at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday.

The workers are known to be alive, as rescuers dug through a 45-meter long channel early Monday for ventilation and delivery of food and water. Rescuers were able to confirm, through exchanges of notes, that all the workers were fine.

Food delivered through the channel was tailored by health specialists, including porridge, eggs, milk and bananas, said Wang Lei, chief of health, food and drugs in Shiqian County.

Rescuers have to excavate debris with extra care to avoid secondary collapses, as the geological structure is very complicated and prone to landslides and cave-ins.

It is unclear when they will reach the trapped workers.