Uttarkashi: The operation to rescue 41 men trapped in a mountainous Uttarakhand tunnel had not restarted till Friday evening after a machine snag overnight — one of the many glitches that has slowed the progress of this complex task.
On Thursday night, the platform on which the main drilling machine was hoisted developed cracks, dashing hopes of pulling out the workers sooner. It was also reported a metal pipe was found stuck to the auger machine, requiring it to be reassembled.
Senior project officer Bhaskar Khulbe said it took time to clear the obstructing metal.
A member of the National Disaster Management Authority, Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.), said in the evening that the underground penetrating radar had detected no further obstacle for the next five metres. “The radar will be used again after that distance to check for further obstacles,” Hasnain said.
He added that fresh “equipment challenges” had been overcome in the last 24 hours. “A foreign steel pipe from the roof of the tunnel had to be removed. A bent pipe had to be cut and re-welded… I am hopeful to start the effort all over again in the very near future. The world is going on 24/7… We should be in a much better position tomorrow morning.”
VIDEO | Uttarkashi tunnel collapse UPDATE: "Overall, the operation is going on very well. We are hopeful that we will be in a much better position tomorrow morning," says Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, NDMA member on Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation.… pic.twitter.com/1l0EJB72Ze
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 24, 2023
It is understood that rescuers will have to horizontally drill another 12 to 14 metres to reach the workers. The men are trapped in the 4.5-km Silkyara-Dandalgaon tunnel in Uttarkashi since it caved in early on 12 November. The workers are trapped around 60 metres from the mouth of the tunnel on the Silkyara side.
Authorities, however, have said they are safe. Several doctors, including psychiatrists, have been at the site, talking to the men and monitoring their health. Ambulances are also on standby, and the local police have assured a “green corridor” to nearby hospitals.
For days now, rescue personnel have been drilling horizontally through the obstructing debris to create an opening. They have pushed in 800-mm diameter, steel pipes through this cleared shaft to make a safe passage for evacuation.
On Friday, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), one of the many agencies working on the rescue, demonstrated how it would push its wheeled stretchers through the escape chute to bring out the workers.
An NDRF staff rode the stretcher through the evacuation pipe towards the trapped men and was successfully pulled back with the rope attached to it, a video clip showed. There was enough room inside the pipes and he had no difficulty in breathing during the exercise, he said.
#WATCH | | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue: NDRF demonstrates the movement of wheeled stretchers through the pipeline, for the rescue of 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara Tunnel once the horizontal pipe reaches the other side. pic.twitter.com/mQcvtmYjnk
— ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2023
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has been camping at nearby Matli since Thursday to closely monitor the rescue operation. He is also in daily touch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister’s office said.
A second plan to drill vertically from atop the hill is also in place, authorities said.
Also read: Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: NDRF conducts evacuation rehearsal using wheeled stretchers