The 41 workers who have been trapped under a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand for 13 days will soon be rescued using a unique method. Officials have announced that the workers will be pulled out one by one on wheeled stretchers through a large pipe that is being pushed through the debris to reach them. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has released a video demonstrating how the stretchers will be used to extract the trapped workers.
To ensure the safety of the workers during the rescue operation, each worker will be positioned low on the stretcher to prevent their limbs from scraping against the metal underside of the welded pipe. NDRF personnel will then pull the stretcher using a rope. Initially, there was consideration given to having the workers crawl out individually, but their health conditions after 13 days of living in darkness and without proper meals may prevent them from doing so.
Efforts to rescue the 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand have finally reached the final stage. On Tuesday, a camera inserted through a pipe captured visuals of the workers for the first time. The camera, which was attached to an endoscopic flexi camera, was pushed inside the tunnel through a six-inch pipe that had been inserted through the rubble. The visuals showed the trapped workers in their hard hats and work gear, waving to the camera and indicating that they are coping well under the challenging circumstances.
Rescue attempts over the past week have faced numerous challenges, including the difficult topography and the nature of the rocks in the area. Falling debris and landslides further complicated the rescue efforts. However, officials have assured that all the workers are safe and have been provided with food and water through steel pipes that have been drilled into the opening.
Multiple agencies, including the NDRF, SDRF, BRO, and the ITBP, are working tirelessly in a round-the-clock operation to rescue the trapped workers. Additionally, an international tunnelling expert team and a robotics team from the defense research organization DRDO are also present at the site.
The collapsed tunnel is part of the Char Dham project, which aims to improve connectivity to the Hindu pilgrimage sites of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. The incident serves as a reminder of the risks faced by workers involved in such infrastructure projects and the importance of stringent safety measures.
