A team of “rat-hole miners” began manual drilling operations on Monday to reach the 41 workers trapped within the debris of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi as rescue operations entered Day 17.

At least 24 seasoned “rat-hole mining” experts are involved in the manual drilling process and excavate a narrow passageway toward the trapped workers. This time-consuming task will involve removing debris and creating a safe route for the rescue operation. The workers are just 5 metres away from the rescue team.

Also Read: Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: 31 metres of vertical drilling work done till now

Top points on Uttarakhand tunnel collapse:

  • Manual drilling operations began at the tunnel yesterday. Initial drilling efforts were conducted using a large auger machine that got stuck in the rubble on Friday, prompting authorities to look for alternative methods.
  • 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, as of Tuesday morning, vertical drilling from above the tunnel has reached a depth of more than 42 metres out of the 86 metres needed. Rescuers hope to pull out workers through this one-metre-wide shaft when it breaks through the top of the tunnel below, by Thursday, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said.

Also Read: Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Plasma cutter flown in to remove auger blades from rubble

  • Meanwhile, a rain forecast and temperatures dropping to 4 degrees Celsius pose additional hurdles in the ongoing rescue operations to free 41 construction workers trapped under a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi.
  • A landline connection has been established for the trapped workers who are stuck in a 2-km built-up area, through a pipe that helps them talk to people outside. Twice a day, from 9 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 8 pm, a team of doctors stationed at the tunnel site, talk to the workers.
  • Rescue officials have played down concerns about the workers’ ability to navigate through the 800-millimeter diameter pipes, highlighting their prior experience working in 600-millimeter pipes. To ensure their safety, each worker will be equipped with a helmet, a uniform, a mask, and glasses.
  • “We have to complete this relief and rescue operation with a lot of alertness. Nature is continuously giving us challenges in this effort. But, we are standing firm. We are making efforts round-the-clock. We have to pray for the safe evacuation of those workers and to do it as early as possible,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

Also Read: Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Rescue operations come to a halt following hurdle, drilling stopped

  • PM Modi’s Principal Secretary PK Mishra reached the tunnel yesterday to review rescue operations. He was accompanied by Chief Secretary Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. Mishra assured the rescue teams of all possible support from the central government.
  • Located about 30 km from Uttarkashi and a seven-hour drive from Dehradun, the Silkyara tunnel is an integral part of the central government’s ambitious Char Dham all-weather road project. A part of the tunnel caved in on November 12.