Rescue Operation Underway to Save Workers Trapped in Uttarkashi Tunnel
Rescue teams are making final preparations to pull out 41 workers who have been trapped in a collapsed road tunnel in Uttarakhand for almost two weeks. Ambulances are on standby as rescuers continue to dig through the remaining debris to reach the workers. Specially fitted stretchers with wheels have been prepared to transport the exhausted men through a 57-meter steel pipe. Emergency vehicles and a field hospital have been set up at the site to provide immediate medical attention to the rescued workers.
National Disaster Response Force chief Atul Karwal stated that rehearsals have been conducted to ensure the safe evacuation of the workers. The plan is to use the stretchers with wheels to transfer the workers one by one from the tunnel. Despite the preparations, rescue efforts have been hampered by delays, including falling debris, concerns of further cave-ins, and mechanical breakdowns.
The chief minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, described the rescue operation as being carried out on a “war footing.” He mentioned the presence of a team of doctors, ambulances, helicopters, and a field hospital at the site. However, Syed Ata Hasnain, a senior official from the National Disaster Management Authority, refused to provide a timeline for the workers’ release, comparing the rescue operation to a battle against the challenging Himalayan geology.
Experts have expressed concerns about extensive construction activities in Uttarakhand, which is prone to landslides. Hasnain emphasized that both the rescuers and the trapped workers are at equal risk.
Outside the Silkyara tunnel entrance, worried relatives have gathered, hoping for a safe release of their loved ones. The rescue teams are exploring alternative routes, including blasting and drilling from the far end of the unfinished tunnel and preparing a risky vertical shaft directly above.
The workers were observed alive for the first time on Tuesday through an endoscopic camera sent by rescuers. Despite being trapped, they have sufficient space within the tunnel, which is 8.5 meters high and stretches approximately two kilometers in length.
The tunnel is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s infrastructure project.
