All 41 workers rescued from collapsed tunnel in India after 17-day ordeal

New Delhi, India CNN —

Cheers greeted a group of 41 workers as they emerged from a collapsed tunnel under the Himalayas on Tuesday, the climax of an incredible and perilous weekslong rescue operation to drill through rock and debris.

The men had been trapped for 17 days as recovery teams drilledan escape route through the mountain — with many setbacks as they encountered technical problems — before the last few meters were drilled by hand.

Workers who had been stuck in the Silkyara tunnel since November 12 started to be rescued on Tuesday.

Video footage from the scene showed Pushkar Singh Dhami, chief minister of Uttarakhand state meeting the workers, as they emerged from the tunnel amid jubilant scenes.

All 41 of the workers seem to be healthy, Dhami confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday night local time.

“Since they have come out of a very different environment, we will follow the advice of the doctor. They will be monitored first. No one is critical,” Dhami said.

“None of their symptoms are of weakness or fever, they are all healthy. While there were stretchers for them to come out, they chose to come out crawling on their own,” he said, before thanking the workers, engineers, and government departments that helped coordinate the rescue mission.

A father greets his son who was trapped inside the tunnel for 17 days. Uttarakhand's Chief Minister Rushkar Singh Dhami embraces one of the rescued laborers.

The rescued workers will each be given checks worth 100,000 rupees (about $1,200), Dhami said.

“We will also ask the company that these 41 workers be allowed to go home and spend time with their family for 15 days, 20 days, or 1 month,” Dhami said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the successful