Rescue work continues following SW China tunnel collapse

Rescue work is continuing in southwest China's Yunnan province after part of a railway tunnel collapsed on Monday afternoon, local authorities said.

As of 5:10 a.m. on Tuesday, rescuers had managed to drill a hole in the collapsed tunnel and detected some responses, said Li Zhanguo, an official in charge of the tunnel construction.

"We are still trying to make sure of the workers' situations," Li said.

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

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

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.