Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse News Live: The most recent updates from Uttarkashi indicate that rescue operations are set to recommence as the teams are on the verge of reaching the trapped workers. The rescue operation has entered its 14th day after the US-made auger drilling machine stopped again on Friday due to technical glitches.
On Thursday, certain officials overseeing the extensive rescue efforts had initially suggested that the workers would be successfully evacuated by 8 am, but later revised the deadline to the end of the day. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are gearing up for a critical rescue operation aimed at evacuating 41 workers. Simultaneously, local villagers in the vicinity are fervently praying for the mission’s success, seeking blessings from their indigenous deities. Among their rituals, they are invoking divine intervention by singing traditional Garhwali folk ‘jagars’.
As the Uttarkashi rescue operation enters final phase, here are the latest updates:
The rescuers are facing multiple challeges which are hindering the operation. One of the challenges are that drilling machine is breaking down continously.
International Tunneling Expert, Arnold Dix reaches the Silkyara tunnel site where the rescue operation is underway to bring out the trapped workers. Arnold Dix says “At the moment, it’s like we are there at the front door and we are knocking on it. We know that the guys are there on the other side. I am going to have a look and see what is happening…” (ANI)
RD Dwivedi, a tunnel expert from Roorkee, arrives at the Silkyara tunnel site, where a rescue attempt is underway to free the trapped workers. “A total of three people have come here from CIMFR Roorkee,” adds RD Dwivedi. We are tunneling experts, and we will get an update on the rescue effort that is taking place here…”
The ongoing effort to rescue 41 workers seemed like coming to an end as only 6 meters is left to mine to successfully retrieve the workers. The site got to see 2 chopper helicopters with engineers to study the operation and finally execute it.
A dedicated 41-bed ward has been prepared at the Community Health Centre in Chinyalisaur to accommodate evacuees from the Silkyara tunnel. Outside the tunnel, 41 ambulances stand ready to swiftly transport them to the health center once they emerge.
On late Wednesday, the progress of drilling 800 mm diameter steel pipes through the debris faced a slight obstacle as some iron rods obstructed the auger machine. According to an electrician at the site, the installation of the last pipe is currently underway.
Officials say that all necessary preparations are in place to deliver prompt medical assistance to the 41 workers once they are successfully evacuated.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, MoS, Road Transport and Highways VK Singh on their way to the tunnel site
Latest reports say that the last phase of the rescue operations has been stopped due to a technical glitch. A team of experts has been called in from Delhi. The work is likley to resume after 12. The alignment of a steel pipe that has been bent, which is proving to be a hindrance in the relief work.
As the rescue ops enter last phase, here’s what’s happening in Uttarkashi at the moment
#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Latest visuals from the site where the rescue operation is underway to rescue the trapped workers pic.twitter.com/0mRSVXTplC
— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023
An NDRF team with 15 members are being led by a commandant. This team has been assigned the mission of rescuing the 41 laborers who have been trapped for the past 10 days in the collapsed Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi. According to PTI, the NDRF team also practiced a simulated drill outlining their approach to navigate through the pipe and reach the other side of the debris where the laborers are stranded, NDRF’s second-in-command Ravi Shankar Badhani said.
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operations. Officials involved in the relief work say that the operation will end by 8:30 am today. Rescuers are expected to reach the trapped workers by 8:00 am, latest reports say.