Construction of the world's highest tunnel, Shinkun La, has begun in northern India.
The tunnel project includes two 4.1-km-long branches located at an altitude of about 4,815 m on the Nimmu-Padum-Darcha route. The road will provide continuous communication with the high-altitude city of Leh in all weather conditions.
"Once completed, this will be the highest tunnel in the world," the Indian government emphasized, adding that Shinkun La will facilitate economic and social development in Ladakh.
Today, the highest-altitude facility of this type in the world is a tunnel in China connecting the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Lhasa, with the city of Nyingchi in the southeast of the region: it is located at an altitude of 4,750 m above sea level.
