Rescue efforts continue to extricate 13 workers con Wednesday after they were trapped when a tunnel under construction in Southwest China gave way three days ago.

Before 8 a.m. on Sunday, the tunnel along the highway in Tongren City in Guizhou Province collapsed while it was being constructed.

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Thirteen people estimated to be 600 meters from the exit were trapped as local authorities brought excavators and paramedics to assist in the rescue operations.

Rescuers have confirmed that all 13 victims are alive and well, and have been served food and water on Monday via a 45-meter long channel serving as ventilation for the entrapped people as well.

Rescuers are slowly but carefully digging out debris to avoid secondary collapses.

Reports indicate that sudden and careless digging may result to more danger for the victims as the geological structure is very prone to cave-ins and landslides.

No time or date has been released yet as to when the rescue operations are expected to conclude.

Similar accidents occurred last month in Southwest China's Yunnan province as a railway tunnel caved in confining 15 workers for more than five days.

The tunnel collapsed at around 4 p.m. on July 14. Rescuers were able to provide food, water and flashlights to the victims after 27 hours of non-stop rescue efforts.

Fourteen of the trapped people were safely extracted from the collapsed tunnel and were immediately transported to a nearby hospital for treatment and psychological counseling.

The tunnel was a pivotal railway connecting Yunnan province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the southern portion of China.

On the other hand, four workers were not so lucky after being killed in another tunnel collapse that occurred in May.

During this incident, five of them were trapped as another tunnel under construction along Huishui-Luodian Highway in Guizhou Province caved in at around 8 a.m. on May 21.

Tagstunnel collapse, cave in