As rescue operations continued in Uttarkashi on Tuesday morning following an under-construction tunnel collapse. Officials indicated that rescuers at the site initiated efforts to insert large-diameter mild steel pipes through the rubble using an auger machine.
The ongoing rescue operation entered its third day with trucks delivering pipes and an auger machine (a drilling tool) to the tunnel site earlier in the day. The 40 workers trapped in the collapsed tunnel for two days are reported safe, receiving provisions of food, water, and oxygen, according to authorities.
Preparations for the auger machine’s platform are underway to drill horizontally to insert the pipes through the debris, facilitating the workers’ evacuation. These 900 mm pipes aim to provide a passageway for the workers.
Officials plan to deploy horizontal drilling equipment to push the pipes through, creating an escape route for the trapped workers. Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha, who surveyed the tunnel on Monday, anticipated the potential rescue of the labourers by Tuesday night or Wednesday, reports The Indian Express.
In response to the incident, the Uttarakhand government formed a six-member expert committee to investigate the accident. Rescue efforts at the tunnel, intended to link Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi district, began on Sunday.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with police and local administrative personnel, swiftly initiated rescue measures upon receiving news of the accident, mentioned Superintendent of Police (Uttarkashi) Arpan Yaduvanshi. The operation involves using two JCBs and a Poclain machine to clear debris within the 13-meter-wide tunnel. Teams are creating an escape passage spanning around 60 meters to reach the trapped workers.
A contingent of three Jharkhand government officials has departed for Uttarakhand to aid in the rescue efforts for workers trapped after the tunnel collapse, as per PTI reports.
An estimated 36 workers, including 10 from Jharkhand, were feared trapped after a segment of the under-construction tunnel collapsed between Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, on Sunday.
As directed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, a trio of government officials, including JAP-IT (Jharkhand Agency for Promotion of Information Technology) CEO Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh, and joint labour commissioners Rajesh Prasad and Robert Lakra, travelled to Uttarakhand on Monday to extend immediate assistance and support in rescuing workers from the eastern state, stated an official release.
Meanwhile, the chief minister has also sent his wishes for the speedy recovery of all the workers trapped in the tunnel.
(With Agencies Inputs)