Shillong, November 15: On the fourth day of the ongoing rescue operation in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, attempts to free 40 trapped workers inside a tunnel faced setbacks.
As per India Today, the auger drilling machine and its platform, crucial for the operation, were dismantled after a fresh landslide on Tuesday night disrupted progress. Two rescue workers sustained injuries from falling debris during the incident.
The initial drilling to insert steel pipes for creating a passage had commenced with an ‘auger machine,’ as reported by Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela. Despite the initial optimism for evacuation by Wednesday, the rescue work was hampered by the unexpected landslide, leading to a reassessment of the operation’s timeline.
Presently, efforts focus on leveling the platform for installing a new drilling machine. The plan involves using 800 and 900 mm diameter sections of mild steel pipes successively to create a passage through the debris. Concrete work is underway to strengthen the platform, and the 900 mm pipes, each six meters in length, are intended to be wide enough for workers to pass through comfortably.
Despite the challenges, officials maintain that the trapped workers are safe, receiving essential supplies like oxygen, water, food packets, and medicines through tubes. The State Emergency Operation Centre disclosed the presence of eight 900-mm diameter pipes and five 800-mm diameter pipes, all six meters long.
The incident occurred when a section of an under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed, trapping the workers on Sunday morning.
