Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: International tunnelling experts reach site as rescue ops continue on 9th day

As the rescue operation work entered the ninth day and the rescuers raced against time to evacuate the 41 workers trapped in an under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi, an international team of tunnelling experts arrived at the site on Monday.

International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association president Arnold Dix is among the experts who have reached the site to oversee the rescue operations.

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Arnold Dix inspected the Silkyara tunnel site and said, “We are going to get those men out. Great work is being done here. Our whole team is here and we are going to find a solution and get them out. A lot of work is being done here.”

“It is important that not only the men rescued but also the men who are rescuing are safe. The whole world is helping. The team here is fantastic. The plans are looking fantastic. The work is very systematic. The food and the medication are being provided properly,” Dix said, ANI reported.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami over the phone about the ongoing relief and rescue operation to rescue the workers.

The PM said the workers will be evacuated safely with mutual coordination between the central and state agencies. He said there was a need to maintain the morale of the trapped workers.

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Giving information about the situation, Dhami said that the state and central agencies were engaged in relief and rescue work with mutual coordination and promptness. He stressed the workers trapped in the tunnel were safe.

The tunnel is being constructed under the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL). It is a part of the ambitious Char Dham all-weather road project of the central government. On November 12, 41 workers were trapped inside the debris after a portion of the under-construction tunnel in Uttarkashi collapsed.

(With inputs from ANI)