Uttarkashi tunnel operation may take 2-3 days more, Thai cave rescue expert contacted
Rescue operations to evacuate the 40 workers trapped in an under-construction tunnel.
In Silkyara in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi resumed for the fifth day as an auger drilling machine began to operate to expedite the process of digging through the debris and rescuing the people. The rescuers were also monitoring the mental health of the trapped workers through constant communication.
If the state-of-the-art performance auger drilling machine, weighing 24 tonnes works properly to its capacity, it will be able to cut the tunnel at a speed of 5 mm per hour.
Three consignments of the drilling machine brought from Delhi by Hercules aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Chinyalisaur helipad reached the tunnel. The distance of the tunnel from Chinyalisaur is about 35 kilometres.
Experts from Norway and Thailand were taken into consideration given the fragile state of the mountains where the tunnel is located. Nearly 50 metres of debris needs to be penetrated to insert 800 mm and 900 mm of evacuation tubes. Once this happens, the workers trapped on the other side of the rubble can crawl out to safety.
Union Minister General (retd) VK Singh arrived at the tunnel today to take stock of the rescue operations. “Rescue operation is underway. We have full hope. We are trying our best,” he told news agency ANI.
The Union Minister said he spoke to workers and was hopeful that the trapped workers would be pulled out. He also said efforts were being made to complete the rescue operations within two to three days.
“All options are being explored. The safety of workers is paramount. We are taking opinions from international organisations,” he said.
“A new machine is working, whose power and speed are better than the old machine. Our effort is to complete this rescue operation in two to three days. I talked with them (workers), and their morale is high. They know that the government is working to rescue them,” he said.
A portion of the tunnel, part of the ambitious Char Dham all-weather road project, collapsed on Sunday, due to a landslide. The 30-metre collapsed section is 270 metres from the mouth of the tunnel from the Silkyara side.
Officials said the labourers were safe, and oxygen, electricity, medicines, food items and water were being supplied to them through pipes.
According to a list of the trapped workers issued by the emergency operation centre, 15 are from Jharkhand, eight from Uttar Pradesh, five from Odisha, four from Bihar, three from West Bengal, two each from Uttarakhand and Assam and one from Himachal Pradesh.