Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: Efforts are working around the clock in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi to rescue 40 trapped staff in Silkyara tunnel collapse incident with the assistance of highly effective machines. One heavy machine has been airlifted from Delhi whereas one other one is being airlifted from Indore to speed up the rescue efforts.
A C-17 transport plane of the Indian Air Force has been deployed to airlift virtually 22 tonnes of vital gear from Indore to Dehradun, officers mentioned on Friday.
Rescue staff have drilled via up to 24 metres of rubble within the Silkyara tunnel until Friday afternoon, inching nearer to the 40 labourers trapped inside for 5 days.
“The IAF has continued with its operations to assist the ongoing tunnel rescue underway at Dharasu, Uttarakhand. An IAF C-17 has been deployed to airlift almost 22 Tonnes of critical equipment from Indore to Dehradun. #FirstResponders #HADROps,” the IAF posted on X, previously Twitter.
The National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) mentioned the fifth pipe — getting used to put together an escape passage for the trapped staff — is being positioned.
The rescue staff have to drill up to 60 metres to insert 800- and 900- millimetre diameter pipes — one after the opposite — with the assistance of a large drill until an escape passage may be created for the labourers caught behind the collapsed portion of the under-construction tunnel, NHIDCL Director Anshu Manish Khalkho mentioned.
Asked why the machine was not ready to obtain the anticipated drilling speed of 4 to 5 metres per hour, he mentioned aligning the pipes on the machine and welding these correctly earlier than pushing these via takes time. Khalkho additionally claimed that the drilling machine being diesel operated is behind the gradual progress.
“It is a diesel-operated machine working in an enclosed space. So ventilation at certain time intervals with compressors is also needed. The vibration created by these processes may disturb the equilibrium,” he mentioned.
“We are working with a strategy but it has to be reinforced to ensure nothing goes wrong midway through,” he mentioned.
The machine has been working satisfactorily and the speed will go up as extra progress is made via the rubble and the rescue staff get accustomed to the strategy, Khalkho added.
Another ‘auger machine’ is being airlifted from Indore as a back-up in order that the rescue operation continues uninterrupted, he mentioned.
Meanwhile, folks whose family members are among the many 40 trapped staff are being allowed to converse to them via a pipe contained in the tunnel.
With inputs from PTI
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