Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: ‘Good News Expected In Next 24 Hours’

New Delhi: “Some big news expected in next 24-hrs,” said an official supervising rescue operation at the Silkyara tunnel collapse site as drilling with the American auger machine resumed overnight to prepare an escape passage for the 41 workers trapped inside for more than 10 days.

According to officials, 800 diameter steel pipes have been inserted up to 32 metres through the rubble so far. Drilling was suspended at the tunnel since Friday when the auger machine hit a hard object. The resumption of drilling with the auger machine is likely to speed up the rescue efforts, the Times of India reported.

Officials supervising the rescue operation believe they are close to making a critical breakthrough. Additional Secretary Technical, Road and Transport Mahmood Ahmed said on Wednesday that some big news is expected in the next 24 hours as an additional 880-millimeter pipe has also been pushed 21 metres through the rubble to free 41 workers. The official said since Tuesday night they have pushed three more pipes, reaching 40-50 metres through horizontal drilling inside the tunnel.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has completed construction of a road near the Silkyara site to enable machines to pass through to rescue the 41 workers trapped for the past 11 days inside the 4.5 tunnel, a portion of which collapsed on November 12. Major Naman Narula of BRO told ANI that the road construction work on the hill from the upper part of the tunnel to the marked place on the tunnel where the drilling work will be done has been completed. ”

“Around 1,200 metres of road has been constructed. Two drilling machine vehicles have also reached the tunnel site. We have constructed the track within 48 hours…” Major Narula said.