Dehradun:
The 41 workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara are expected to be rescued by Thursday morning, a rescue official told reporters. Only 12 metres of rock and debris separate them, officials said earlier on Wednesday. The under-construction tunnel had collapsed on November 12, trapping the labourers working inside. Advanced drilling machines were flown in as rescue officials raced against time to save the trapped workers.
Here are the live updates on the Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Ops:
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#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Harpal Singh, project head of Zojila Tunnel and one of the rescue team members says, “…pipe has covered 44 metres and it has to go 12 metres more. The only obstacle right now is that a few steel pieces have come into the… pic.twitter.com/AcBbhYpmFL
– ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2023
#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Harpal Singh, one of the rescue team members says, “…NDRF is quite confident, they will cut the steal and machine (gas cutter) will work…I feel that approximately by 8 am in the morning, the entire rescue operation will be… pic.twitter.com/xQEToB7KBq
– ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2023
#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Medical equipment reach the collapse site where a temporary hospital has been set up pic.twitter.com/zorj94lHwu
– ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2023
Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue: 15-Men NDRF Team To Bring Out 41 Trapped Workers
A 15-man strong NDRF team led by a commandant has been tasked to take out one by one the 41 labourers stuck for the last 10 days in the collapsed Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi. The NDRF jawans have conducted a mock drill on how they will go through the pipe to the other side of the rubble where the labourers are stuck, NDRF second-in-command Ravi Shankar Badhani told PTI.
Jharkhand To Airlift Its Workers After They’re Evacuated From Tunnel: Report
The Jharkhand government has planned to airlift workers belonging to the state who were among the 41 people trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand after their rescue. There are around 15 workers from Jharkhand trapped in the tunnel. An official from the Jharkhand labour department present at the rescue spot told PTI the state government has planned to airlift the workers belonging to their state. Another official said the rescued workers will be taken to a hospital at Chilyanisaur in Uttarkashi where a separate ward with 41 oxygen-supported beds has been prepared.
#WATCH | NDRF personnel enter Silkyara tunnel as operation to rescue 41 trapped workers intensifies, in Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/f9LCO5PBun
– ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2023
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will undertake a safety audit of all 29 under-construction tunnels across the country to ensure safety and adherence to highest quality standards, an official statement said on Wednesday. “NHAI officials, along with a team of experts from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) as well as other tunnel experts, will inspect the ongoing tunnel projects and will submit a report within seven days,” the statement said.
#WATCH | Uttarkashi tunnel incident | Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami left for Uttarkashi from Dehradun. At night, the Chief Minister will take stock of the ongoing relief and rescue work in the Silkyara Tunnel located on the Uttarkashi-Yamnotri road: CMO,… pic.twitter.com/Vw2ECXu6G6
– ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2023
Mahmood Ahmed, a senior official with Uttarakhand’s Road and Transport Department, says the auger (or earth drilling machine) that was switched on at 12.45 am had drilled 18 metres so far. “I am very happy to share that drilling for 39 metres has been completed. Estimates indicate the workers are trapped 57 metres underground, so only 18 metres is left,” he explained earlier in the day.
Mr Ahmed also said the most time-consuming process – in a rescue attempt that is now in its 11th day – is the welding of pipes to be pushed into the drilled holes to provide workers’ an escape route. “Welding is most important… this takes time. It does not take much time to drill… due to this it has taken almost 15 hours, from late night, to send 18 metres of pipes, i.e., three sections,” he added.
“I am happy to announce we have been able to move forward by another six meters. It is expected that in the next two hours, when we prepare for the next phase, we will be able to (finish) remaining work,” Bhaskar Khulbe, the Special Officer deputed to the Uttarakhand Tourism Department, told reporters. Mr Khulbe said about 67 per cent of drilling had been completed.
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