Manual Drilling To Save Workers Trapped In Uttarakhand Tunnel Likely To Begin Today; Check Updates

Uttarkashi: The rescue operation at the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse site in Uttarakhand, which is currently on hold after the auger drilling machine hit a metal girder last evening, is expected to resume with manual drilling through the remaining 10- or 12-metre stretch of the rubble on Sunday afternoon.

According to reports, a plasma cutter was flown in from Hyderabad to cut to remove parts of the auger machine stuck in the rubble inside the Silkyara tunnel. A complete disengagement of the machine is necessary for the officials to resume the rescue work which involves manual pushing of pipes through rubble to prepare an escape passage, according to new agency PTI.

“The plasma machine that has been brought from Hyderabad has started working since morning. Cutting is going on rapidly. 14 metres more remain (to be cut). The auger machine has to be cut and brought out. It seems that it will be completed soon, within a few more hours. After that manual drilling will begin,” said Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Indian Air Force also flew in critical DRDO equipment to Dehradun for the rescue work this morning. “Responding with alacrity to the requirements of the ongoing rescue operation, late last evening the IAF flew in critical DRDO equipment to Dehradun,” it said.

On Saturday, Telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has set up a small telephone exchange at the tunnel site for the 41 trapped workers to speak to their families.

Advising patience, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said, “This operation could take a long time. When you are working on a mountain, everything is unpredictable. We never gave any timeline.”

International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix expressed hope about the safe return of the trapped workers by Christmas, which is still a month away. “Some time from now until one month and 41 men will be home safe. I just don’t know exactly when. I mean that we should not rush. We should just consider the most important thing and that is that the men come home safe. And I am confident that they will be home in time for Christmas,” he told ANI.