Rescue operations to evacuate 41 workers trapped for 12 days in Uttarkashi’s Silkyara Tunnel made significant progress as the final phase commenced after a brief pause due to an obstruction encountered by the drilling machine on Thursday morning.

The temporary setback occurred when the 800 mm diameter steel pipes being drilled were obstructed by an iron mesh, causing a temporary halt in operations, as confirmed by officials.

Also Read: Uttarakhand tunnel rescue LIVE: Final phase of rescue ops halted due to technical glitch

An electrician at the site reported that the last pipe required to establish the escape passage for the trapped workers was successfully being pushed through the debris on Thursday morning.

Officials said that comprehensive arrangements are in place to provide immediate medical care for the evacuated workers.

Also Read: Uttarkashi rescue: Horizontal drilling to evacuate trapped workers in Silkyara tunnel reaches 42 metres

A 41-bed ward has been prepared at the Chinyalisaur Community Health Centre, with an equal number of ambulances stationed outside the tunnel to transport the evacuees as soon as they come out.

Until 6 pm on Wednesday, a total of 44 metres of the escape pipe had been inserted into the debris, as per the official update from Delhi.

Earlier, the auger machine of American origin faced the challenge of drilling through a 57-meter stretch of debris to reach the trapped workers.

The drilling process, initiated from the Silkyara end, was briefly halted last Friday afternoon due to safety concerns arising from vibrations caused by the machine facing a hard obstacle around the 22-meter mark.

Operations then resumed around midnight on Tuesday.

As the machine continues its drilling, six-meter sections of steel pipes are methodically being pushed into the escape passage, each just under a meter wide. Once the pipeway extends to the other end, it is anticipated that the trapped workers will safely crawl out.

A portion of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel caved in on November 12 in which 41 workers got trapped and have been stuck since. Efforts are underway to rescue the trapped workers.

(With inputs from PTI)