The AIIMS-Rishikesh on Thursday declared all 41 workers who were evacuated from Silkyara tunnel fit to return home.

Briefing the media here on their health condition, Dr Ravikant said the workers were thoroughly examined and their blood test, X-ray, and ECG reports were normal.

"They are physically normal and clinically stable. We have given them clearance to return home," he said.

The workers were rescued from the tunnel Tuesday night after a long-drawn operation. The doctor said as they have come out of a tunnel after 17 days, the workers might need acclimatisation.

They have been advised to go to the nearest hospital after two weeks for a check-up.

"On the basis of their major organ screening, we can say they are fit to travel. As they were taken good care of during their confinement in the tunnel with regular feeding, there was no case of starvation. They are mostly quite young or of middle age. That also helped them stay fit," Ravikant said.

Doctors from AIIMS-Rishikesh will stay connected with the workers through tele-medicine to monitor their mental health for the next few weeks, he said in reply to a question. About how they will be taken home, the hospital authorities said respective state governments are working out details of their departure.

The number of workers from Jharkhand is the highest at 15. These 15 and five other workers from Odisha may be taken home today as their nodal officers are here already.

The responsibility of commute of the rest of them will be handed over to authorised representatives from their states as and when they approach the hospital administration, he said.

"Our priority is to ensure that all workers are safely transported to their home by officials authorised by their respective state governments," another doctor said at the media briefing. Apart from 15 workers from Jharkhand and five from Odisha, eight are from Uttar Pradesh, five from Bihar, three from West Bengal, two each from Uttarakhand and Assam, and one from Himachal Pradesh.

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