The 41 workers who have been trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand for 15 days faced another setback when officials announced that the drill being used for their rescue has collapsed. As a result, rescuers will now have to resort to manual drilling, which could potentially take several days or even weeks to complete.
Here are 10 updates on the ongoing rescue operation in the Uttarakhand tunnel:
1. The blades of the auger machine used for drilling got stuck in the debris while attempting to break through the rubble of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel.
2. The heavy drill, imported from America to penetrate nearly 60 meters of debris, was damaged on Friday and is currently being removed. The remaining 10-15 meters will have to be broken using hand-held power tools.
3. Manual drilling will involve one worker entering the already drilled section of the rescue passage, drilling for a short period within the confined space, and then being replaced by another worker.
4. The 41 workers, who have been trapped for over 360 hours, may now have to wait for several more days or even weeks before they can be safely brought out. Authorities have assured that they have access to light, oxygen, food, water, and medication.
5. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain advised patience, stating that the operation could take a significant amount of time due to the unpredictable nature of working in a mountainous area.
6. International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix, present at the disaster site, promised that the workers would be rescued “by Christmas,” which is still a month away.
7. Manual drilling is expected to commence today, but only after the 25-tonne auger drilling machine has been disentangled from the debris. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami mentioned that a plasma cutter is being airlifted from Hyderabad to remove the stuck rotary blades.
8. In the meantime, protective measures are being implemented for the workers who will undertake the manual drilling task. A landline is also being set up to allow the trapped men to communicate with their families.
9. Forty-one ambulances are on standby at the tunnel’s entrance, ready to transport the workers to the Chinyalisaur Community Health Centre. A dedicated ward with 41 oxygen-equipped beds has been established to provide immediate medical care to each worker.
10. The Silkyara tunnel is located approximately 30 km from Uttarkashi and is a crucial part of the central government’s Char Dham all-weather road project, requiring a seven-hour drive from Dehradun.
As of now, the situation is being closely monitored, and efforts are underway to safely rescue the trapped workers.
