All 41 workers who were trapped in a collapsed Himalayan tunnel for 17 days were successfully rescued last week.
The men were tunneling through a mountain as part of the $1.5 billion Char Dham highway project, which aims to connect four Hindu pilgrimage sites, when a landslide trapped them nearly 3 miles from freedom. The workers were provided oxygen, food, and water through a narrow pipe, even as rescue efforts faced numerous setbacks.
After the complete breakdown of drilling equipment, they were finally reached by so-called “rat miners” who drilled through the last two meters of rock and gravel by hand. Once a path was cleared, each man was evacuated through a 3-foot wide steel pipe, where waiting ambulances transported them to a hospital for evaluation. Remarkably, they’re all in good health.
Unexpected calamity reminds us that all of the world has been broken by sin. But Christians can look forward to an eternity where there’s redemption not just for people but for creation itself.
“Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.” (Romans 8:20–21)
And that’s the memo.
By The Pour Over