The rescue operation to save 41 workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district faced another obstacle on Friday evening as drilling was halted once again. Here are 10 key points on the rescue operation:
1. Senior officials had previously announced that only 10-12 meters of drilling remained before reaching the trapped workers. Ground-penetrating radar had not detected any significant metallic obstacles within the next five meters.
2. Neeraj Khairwal, the Uttarakhand Secretary and nodal officer for the rescue operation, stated that ground penetrating experts believed there were no continuous metal objects like girders, pipes, or metal plates within the next 5.4 meters. This was good news.
3. As the drilling machine progresses, six-meter sections of steel pipe are welded together and pushed into the narrow tunnel passage. Once the steel chute is in place, rescuers will use wheeled stretchers to evacuate the workers through the newly created tunnel.
4. On Friday evening, the drill bit was withdrawn through the passage carved by the drilling machine. The two setbacks encountered within two days have disappointed anxious relatives who have been waiting outside the tunnel for several days.
5. Prior to the halt, 46.8 meters of the 800-millimeter-wide steel pipe had been inserted into the drilled passageway in the collapsed section of the tunnel, which is estimated to be around 60 meters long. The six-inch-wide tube serves as a vital connection for the trapped workers to the outside world.
6. Garhwal Range Inspector General KS Nagnyal assured that arrangements have been made to swiftly transport the rescued workers to medical centers under a secure police escort through a dedicated “green corridor.”
7. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) conducted a mock drill at the site to ensure smooth operations. An NDRF jawan confirmed that there is ample space for movement in the narrow escape passage and breathing is not an issue.
8. Forty-one ambulances are on standby at the tunnel’s entrance to transport the workers to the Chinyalisaur Community Health Centre. A designated ward with 41 oxygen-equipped beds has been set up to provide immediate medical care.
9. Despite being trapped for nearly two weeks, the workers are mentally stable and physically fit. Officials stated that they are adequately clothed and have shown great mental strength.
10. The Silkyara tunnel, located about 30 km from Uttarkashi, is an integral part of the central government’s Char Dham all-weather road project.
The rescue operation continues as authorities work tirelessly to save the trapped workers and reunite them with their families.
