Raipur, Sep 25 - The bodies of 40 workers, all badly disfigured, were recovered till evening from under the debris of a collapsed chimney at the Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) plant in Chhattisgarh as rescuers continued to search for survivors on the third day Friday. Authorities fear several more are still trapped in the debris.

District authorities at Korba, about 250 km north of state capital Raipur, said 40 bodies were pulled out and the casualty figure could rise further once the wreckage of the under-construction chimney at the 1,200 MW coal-fired power plant was cleared.

'The rescue operation is underway with a dozen cranes pressed for clearance work. The rescuers are working cautiously to clear the debris so that survivors, if any, can be pulled out,' Korba district collector Ashok Agrawal told IANS.

He said: 'It might take at least another two-three days to remove the rubble under which dozens of workers are suspected to be trapped.