Uttarkashi trapped workers 5 metres away, rat-hole mining experts closing in
The rescue operation to help the 41 workers trapped inside the collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel.
In Uttarkashi was still underway on Tuesday, as rat-hole mining experts were called in to undertake manual drilling through the rubble. By Monday evening, the last bit of the busted auger drilling machine had been cut out piece by piece and a steel pipe inserted further into the partially complete escape passage.
Simultaneously, vertical drilling from above the tunnel was also underway for a total of 86 metres, as of Tuesday morning. Rescuers hope to pull out workers through this one-metre-wide shaft when it breaks through the top of the tunnel below, by Thursday.
UTTARKASHI TUNNEL RESCUE – LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
A team of rat-hole mining experts began manual drilling through the rubble on Monday, to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside the collapsed Silkyara tunnel. According to reports, a total of 12 rat-hole mining experts were involved in the manual drilling excavation horizontally through the last 10 or 12-metre stretch of debris of the collapsed portion of the under-construction tunnel on Uttarakhand’s Char Dham route. A total of 51.5 metres of horizontal drilling has been so far completed.
Rat-hole mining is a controversial and hazardous procedure in which miners in small groups go down narrow burrows to excavate small quantities of coal. This drilling was earlier being carried out by the auger machine that got stuck in the rubble on November 24, forcing officials to focus on an alternative option — drilling down from above the tunnel.
For the horizontal through-the-rubble option, officials decided that the final stretch would be handled through a manual approach in which individual workers will go into the escape passage with drills, as well as gas-cutters to tackle obstacles like iron girders. By Monday evening, the last bit of the busted auger machine had been cut out piece by piece and a steel pipe inserted further into the partially complete escape passage.
According to Uttarakhand government’s nodal officer Neeraj Khairwal, the men brought to the site were not rat-hole miners but people who are experts in the technique. Divided into separate teams, they will go into the steel chute laid into the escape passage for brief periods.
A rat-hole drilling expert said one man will do the drilling, another collects the rubble with his hands and the third place it on a trolley to be pulled out.
Simultaneously, vertical drilling from above the tunnel, which began on Sunday, has covered a depth of more than 42 metres out of the 86 metres needed. Another eight-inch wide shaft being drilled from a nearby point has reached about 75 metres down. According to rescuers, they hoped to pull out workers hopefully by Thursday.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who arrived at the Silkyara tunnel Tuesday morning, took stock of the ongoing rescue operations and said, “Drilling for almost 52 metres has been done (pipe inserted). It is expected that there will be a breakthrough around 57 metres. More of concrete is being cut with cutter.”
“All engineers, experts and others are working with all their strength. As of now, a pipe has gone 52 metres in. The manner in which the work is ongoing, we hope that there will be a breakthrough very soon. As soon as the pipe goes through, the process of bringing out them (workers) will begin. Everyone is fine,” the Chief Minister said.
Principal Secretary to Prime Minister PK Mishra, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and Uttarakhand Chief Secretary SS Sandhu visited the Silkyara Monday to take stock of the operation. Mishra spoke to the trapped workers, assuring them that multiple agencies were at work to evacuate them and they should remain patient.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said a yellow alert has been issued by the weather department, signifying light rainfall within the next 24 to 48 hours in Uttarkashi. However, there was no possibility of work being hindered because of rain, he added.
A mic was provided to the trapped workers through a pipe, to help them talk to people outside. A team of doctors, stationed at the rescue operation site, talk to the trapped workers twice a day — from 9 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 8 pm.
Also, family members of the trapped workers are allowed to talk to them anytime they like. The administration has set up a camp for the kin of the workers outside the tunnel. Psychiatrists and doctors were also constantly in touch with the family members and kept counselling them as and when required so that they would not say something which could have any negative impact on the minds of the trapped workers. The relatives of the 41 trapped workers have been asked to be prepared and keep the clothes and bags of the workers ready. The workers will be taken to a hospital after being rescued.
On Sunday morning, a plasma cutter was airlifted from Hyderabad to supplement the gas cutter. A team from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Army engineers from the Madras Sappers also reached the Silkyara tunnel.
By Sunday evening, only 8.15 metres of the 47 metres of the auger shaft that had been pushed into the debris remained to be cut and removed, officials said.
An official told PTI that toothpaste, brushes, towels, clothes and undergarments were being provided to the trapped workers. Mobile phones containing movies and video games were given to them, to keep their minds diverted and help prevent any possible situation of depression.
For sleep, there were bundles of geotextile sheets, which were lying inside. The workers do yoga and exercise and walk in the tunnel in the morning and evening. The stretch where they are trapped is about two kilometres and the temperature is between 22 degrees Celsius to 24 degrees Celsius.