Indus Valley Times

Uttarakhand, Nov 16:  Uttarakhand Rescue operations to evacuate the 40 workers trapped in an under-construction tunnel in Silkyara in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi resumed for the fifth day as an auger drilling machine began to operate to expedite the process of digging through the debris and rescuing the people. The rescuers were also monitoring the mental health of the trapped workers through constant communication.

If the state-of-the-art performance auger drilling machine, weighing 24 tonnes works properly to its capacity, it will be able to cut the tunnel at a speed of 5 mm per hour.

Three consignments of the drilling machine brought from Delhi by Hercules aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Chinyalisaur helipad reached the tunnel. The distance of the tunnel from Chinyalisaur is about 35 kilometres.

Experts from Norway and Thailand were taken into consideration given the fragile state of the mountains where the tunnel is located. Nearly 50 metres of debris needs to be penetrated to insert 800 mm of evacuation tubes.

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Union Minister General (retd) VK Singh arrived at the tunnel today to take stock of the rescue operations. “Rescue operation is underway. We have full hope. We are trying our best,” he told news agency ANI.

An auger drill machine being assembled inside the collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi. (Photo: India Today)

A drilling machine being assembled inside the collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi. (Photo: India Today)

A rescue team will also attempt to lay a 900 mm large pipe through the debris to rescue the trapped workers. Sources told Indiatoday.in that tracks may be installed in the pipe to take out the workers from the tunnel so that they do not have to struggle to get out through the pipe.

A portion of the tunnel, part of the ambitious Char Dham all-weather road project, collapsed on Sunday, due to a landslide. The 30-metre collapsed section is 270 metres from the mouth of the tunnel from the Silkyara side.

Officials said the labourers were safe, and oxygen, electricity, medicines, food items and water were being supplied to them through pipes.

According to a list of the trapped workers issued by the emergency operation centre, 15 are from Jharkhand, eight from Uttar Pradesh, five from Odisha, four from Bihar, three from West Bengal, two each from Uttarakhand and Assam and one from Himachal Pradesh.

-ANI