Uttarkashi tunnel: What awaits the 41 trapped workers after rescue?

After an agonising wait of 17 days, the 41 trapped workers inside the collapsed Silkyari tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi are finally seeing the light – in the most literal of ways. Rescue teams achieved a breakthrough in their drilling operations earlier on Tuesday and the mouth of the tunnel was finally opened. By 8.30 pm, all the men were rescued, according to news agency ANI. The news comes after a team of “ rathole miners ” began manual drilling operations on Monday (27 November) to reach the 41 workers trapped within the debris. These miners were brought in after previous attempts, including the drilling by the American-made auger machine, failed and loved ones of the labourers began to lose hope. Family members, who have been camping at the site of the tunnel, were ecstatic as the rescue officials were just one step shy of bringing the labourers out. Even Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami wrote on X, “As a result of the immense grace of Baba Baukh Nag Ji, prayers of crores of countrymen and the tireless work of all the rescue teams engaged in the rescue operation, the work of laying pipes in the tunnel to take out the workers has been completed. Soon all the labour brothers will be taken out.”

बाबा बौख नाग जी की असीम कृपा, करोड़ों देशवासियों की प्रार्थना एवं रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन में लगे सभी बचाव दलों के अथक परिश्रम के फलस्वरूप श्रमिकों को बाहर निकालने के लिए टनल में पाइप डालने का कार्य पूरा हो चुका है। शीघ्र ही सभी श्रमिक भाइयों को बाहर निकाल लिया जाएगा।

— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) November 28, 2023

We explain how exactly the workers were pulled out of the Uttarkashi tunnel and what happens to them now. How will the workers be pulled out of the tunnel? After a series of unfortunate events, which included the auger machine breaking down, rescue teams at the tunnel site opted for vertical drilling and also called in rathole miners on Monday to physically dig through the debris at the spot. The rescue teams worked tirelessly; digging at the site and removing the muck by hand using the rat-hole mining technique while 800-mm diameter pipes were being pushed through the rubble by an auger machine. Owing to their efforts, the team on Tuesday broke through the 60-metre stretch of rubble in the Silkyara tunnel. The last pipe has reached the place where the workers are trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel after which the final stages of evacuation began. The breakthrough happened at 7.05 pm. The first worker was out just before 8 pm. Warm clothes and initial medical checkups were conducted on the rescued workers.

#WATCH | The first worker among the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand since November 12, has been successfully rescued. pic.twitter.com/Tbelpwq3Tz

— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023

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What awaits the trapped workers once they are out? According to the National Disaster Response Force, the trapped workers will follow a very strict protocol to come out of the tunnel. Authorities say that each worker will lie down on a wheeled stretcher that would be pulled by rescue workers outside using ropes. This is expected to take about two or three hours. And on the outside too, there’s a strict procedure that will be followed. Forty-one ambulances have lined up at the tunnel site in Uttarkashi ready to whisk the workers away for their medical and mental check-ups. [caption id=“attachment_13440602” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Ambulances on standby during the rescue operation of the 41 workers trapped inside the under-construction Silkyara Bend-Barkot Tunnel, in Uttarkashi district. PTI[/caption] An official was quoted as telling News18 that the Air Force will also be involved, if needed with a Chinook helicopter being stationed in Chinyalisaur, for airlifting the workers in case of any medical emergency. Additionally, a green corridor has also been established to ensure their swift transportation to the nearby AIIMS in Rishikesh. AIIMS Rishikesh Assistant Professor Dr Narinder Kumar said: “The rescued workers will be brought here only if medical treatment requirements cannot be met in Uttarkashi District hospital. At AIIMS Rishikesh, there are 20 beds in the trauma centre and a few ICU beds. If the workers are brought here, they can be given good medical care. A team of doctors has been constituted to be sent to Uttarkashi, if ordered by the state government.”

VIDEO | Uttarkashi tunnel collapse UPDATE: Preparations for airlift underway at Chinyalisaur helipad in case of a medical emergency, following the rescue of 41 workers trapped inside the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/Xv0JZgK3gW

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 28, 2023

Moreover, a designated ward has also been set up at Chinyalisaur Community Health Centre, located 30 km from the tunnel, with 41 oxygen-equipped beds. And it’s not just the physical health of the workers that will be looked at. Authorities have also prepared to provide mental care to the workers. Earlier, medical experts had stated that being trapped in small, confined space with no light for a long period of time could leave a psychological impact on the workers , even leading to post-traumatic stress disorder. **Also read: Khichdi in bottle, yoga: How 41 workers are surviving in Uttarkashi tunnel** “Psychiatrists have been in touch with the workers since the last few days. They will be given proper counselling post rescue as well,” an official told News18. Notably, the family members who were camping at the tunnel site were also informed by the authorities to get ready for the last stages of the ops. “Keep their clothes and bags ready,” officials told the families who have been keeping a vigil outside the collapsed tunnel for 17 days. [caption id=“attachment_13440632” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix interacts with army personnel during the rescue operation of the 41 workers trapped inside the under-construction Silkyara Bend-Barkot Tunnel, in Uttarkashi. PTI[/caption] Reacting to the news that their loved ones would be out in a matter of few hours, a father of one of the trapped labourers, identified as Chaudhry, told news agency PTI, “It seems the long wait will be over today.” Another relative, Aditya Naik, told the Indian Express, “I am extremely happy and relieved with the news. “We missed Diwali. We will celebrate it now.” How did the labourers get trapped inside the tunnel? On 12 November, a section of the tunnel, which will connect Silkyara to Dandalgaon in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi and is being built under the Char Dham Road Project, collapsed all of a sudden in the wee hours of the morning. While some believe that a landslide caused the collapse, others have pointed out that hasty development in the hills was the cause of the tragedy. In the aftermath of the incident, NDRF and SDRF, officials from the Fire Brigade and employees of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) rushed to the spot as part of the rescue efforts. [caption id=“attachment_13440672” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] NDRF personnel during the rescue operation of the 41 workers trapped inside the under-construction Silkyara Bend-Barkot Tunnel, in Uttarkashi. PTI[/caption] Since then, various methods and techniques have been deployed to rescue the workers. At first, officials attempted to use an auger machine to drill, but those efforts had to be stopped after the machine broke down. Following that, officials began vertical drilling as well as rathole mining. In fact, on Monday, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, PK Mishra had visited the site and told the workers trapped inside the tunnel that they would be rescued safely at the earliest. And PK Mishra has keept his promise to the workers. With inputs from agencies