Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Trapped workers to be brought out soon

A major breakthrough has been reached in the Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation as the pipe-laying work to rescue the 41 trapped workers has been completed. The workers are expected to come out in an hour.

“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 labor brothers will be taken out,” Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a post on X.

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

Meanwhile, preparations at the Community Health Center in Chinyalisaur where the workers will be treated following their rescue have also been completed.

“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 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,” AIIMS Rishikesh Assistant Professor Dr Narinder Kumar said.

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#WATCH | As Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation enters final stage, AIIMS Rishikesh Assistant Professor Dr Narinder Kumar says, "The rescued workers will be brought here only if medical treatment requirements cannot be met in Uttarkashi District hospital. At AIIMS Rishikesh, there… pic.twitter.com/vfgCfqBOSi

— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023

Earlier today, authorities launched multi-pronged operations to rescue the 41 trapped workers from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand. Both manual and vertical drilling works are being carried out at similar paces from inside the tunnel and atop the hill respectively.

Pipes have been inserted up to 52 metres through the rubble at Silkyara tunnel, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Tuesday as efforts to rescue the 41 workers trapped there continued for the 17th day.

Over 12 rat hole mining experts have been employed in the horizontal excavation efforts who have been working their way through the last 10 or 12-metre stretch of debris of the collapsed portion of the under-construction tunnel on Uttarakhand’s Char Dham route since Monday.

#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Visuals from the Silkyara tunnel where the operation to rescue 41 workers is ongoing.

Manual drilling is going on inside the rescue tunnel and auger machine is being used for pushing the pipe. As per the last update, about 2… pic.twitter.com/26hw32fChI

— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023

However, officials part of the vertical drilling team said that the work undertaken from the mouth of the tunnel is seen as the more feasible rescue option and that it will be completed faster than vertical drilling.

“All the experts have been working for a long time. 52 metres of drilling work has been done, everyone is fine, everyone is full of energy. We hope the work will be completed as soon as possible. The manner in which the work is ongoing, we hope that there will be a breakthrough very soon,” Dhami said.

#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | CM Pushkar Singh Dhami says, "All engineers, experts and others are working with all their strength. As of now, pipe has gone 52 metres in. The manner in which the work is ongoing, we hope that there will be a breakthrough very… pic.twitter.com/MNacENvwti

— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023

#WATCH | Uttarakashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | CM Pushkar Singh Dhami says, "Almost 52 metres has been done (pipe inserted). It is expected that there will be a breakthrough around 57 metres. 1 metre of the piple was pushed in before me, if 2 metres more of it is pushed in it… pic.twitter.com/cwVSYLtp8x

— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023

Meanwhile, talking to ANI, Micro tunnelling expert Chris Cooper said, “It went very well last night. We have crossed 50 metres. It’s now about 5-6 metres to go…We didn’t have any obstacles last night. It is looking very positive.”

Rat-hole miners are carrying out the manual drilling work which has been going on since Monday night. The debris thus generated is taken out manually using ropes from the rescue pipe.

With inputs from agencies