Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue: Workers Safe and Sound, Doctor Assures Timely Return Home

The 41 men who were rescued from a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand are currently undergoing health checkups at AIIMS, Rishikesh, and may be able to go home today. According to the hospital, all of the workers are in good health and have only undergone preliminary investigations.

Professor Meenu Singh, the executive director and CEO of AIIMS-Rishikesh, stated, “They are quite normal, I wouldn’t even call them patients. They are feeling quite normal, they are behaving very normally. Their blood pressure, vitals, oxygenation – everything is normal. We have done some basic preliminary investigations just to look at their electrolytes and other blood parameters. The report will be coming soon and we will also be doing their ECG, just to see if there is any effect on the heart.”

In addition to these tests, a basic psychological assessment will also be conducted to determine if there are any long-term effects from the incident. Professor Singh emphasized that the workers are not sick and a decision on whether to send them home will be made today.

The rescue operation to free the 41 workers lasted nearly 17 days and involved multiple agencies from the Central and state governments, including national and disaster relief forces, the Indian Army, police, and other organizations. Tunnel expert Arold Dix played a crucial role in advising the government and agencies during the rescue. He highlighted the importance of taking a cautious approach to drilling escape holes and assessing the impact on the unstable mountainside.

Overall, the workers are in good health and are expected to be able to return home soon.