14 alive, 1 out of contact following tunnel collapse

KUNMING - Fourteen workers are confirmed to be alive but another one remains out of contact in Southwest China's Yunnan province after part of a railway tunnel collapsed on Monday afternoon, local authorities said on Wednesday.

As of 7:20 pm on Tuesday, rescuers had drilled a hole in the collapsed tunnel after more than 27 hours of rescue work, and managed to send food, water and flashlights to the workers, according to the local government.

"Fourteen workers are alive and safe, while the situation of another one remains unclear," the government said in a statement.

The tunnel collapsed at around 4 pm on Monday in Funing County of Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Wenshan, trapping 15 workers, the local government said.

The tunnel, known as Funing No 1 tunnel, was on a pivotal railway linking Yunnan with southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.