Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse: Rescue Mission Enters Day 4, Fresh Landslide Hinders Progress

Forty labourers stay trapped in Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. In the early hours of November 12, 2023, a portion of an under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri nationwide freeway collapsed, entrapping these 40 folks. While rescue operations are on a struggle footing, a contemporary spell of landslide on Tuesday noticed rubbles falling from above, thus hampering the rescue mission. 

How Rescue Work Is Being Planned

To rescue the employees from the tunnel, 900 mm diameter metal pipes and drill and boring machines have reached the spot and work has begun to chop by means of the blockage. Uttarkashi DM Abhishek Rohilla says, “There was a demand for some pipes to carry out rescue operations. The demanded pipes have been provided, and an escape tunnel will be made to further carry out the rescue operation.”

Earlier, Rohilla had informed reporters, “The rescue operation is ongoing. Efforts are being made to make a safe passage or a small tunnel with the help of a pipe. Material has been made available at the site. The platform is also being made for them. After that, the construction of the escape tunnel will also be started. Everyone is said to be safe. Food and water have been arranged for them. NHIDCL officials say that they have been able to establish continuous communication with them.”

Also Read: Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse: Possible Psychological Impact On Trapped Workers And Steps To Take – Expert Speaks

Connecting With The Trapped Men

Meanwhile, Uttarkashi Police’s CO Prashant Kumar, in a bid to bolster the trapped males’s spirits, made preparations for a few of them to speak to their households by means of this mechanism. Kotdwara resident Gambhir Singh Negi, who’s among the many trapped males, talked to his son, who inquired about his well-being and gave him an replace on the efforts being made to rescue them. 

On the third day of rescue operations, that’s Tuesday, the police facilitated the contact of trapped males with their anxious kin by means of a pipe. The Uttarkashi police management room is maintaining others’ households up to date on the state of affairs whereas meals, water, and oxygen are being provided to the trapped males. SDRF commandant Manikant Mishra, who’s main the rescue operation, on Tuesday, talked to the employees trapped within the tunnel by means of a walkie-talkie and inquired about their well-being. The employees informed him that they had been all nice and hoped they’d be rescued quickly.

(With Agency inputs)