Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue Operation Live Updates: Manual drilling started after auger machine broke down
Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue Operation Live Updates:
Forty-one workers trapped in Uttarakhand’s Silkyari tunnel since November 12 are now moments away from seeing the light of the day. Rescuers have cleared the final few metres of debris using the “rat-hole”-mining technique and the work of laying pipes in the tunnel to take out the workers has been completed.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and emergency medical personnel with stretchers have now taken over the rescue ops. The trapped workers will be pulled out one by one with the help of wheeled stretchers tied to ropes.
On November 12, a section of the tunnel between 205 and 260 metres from the Silkyara side collapsed. Workers who were beyond the 260-metre mark were trapped, with their exit blocked.
Read| How 41 Workers Got Trapped Inside Uttarakhand Tunnel For 17 Days
Officials said the workers will be taken to a hospital in Uttarkashi after being rescued where a special ward with 41 beds has been set up for them.
Here are the LIVE updates on the Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation:
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NDMA member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain also said that pipes have been pushed in and two more metres are needed to reach the trapped workers.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain today said that the rescuers are “near breakthrough but not yet there”.
Speaking at a media briefing in Delhi, he said that the workers trapped inside the tunnel have conveyed they could hear the rescue operation work.
Uttarakhand | Latest picture of Uttarkashi Tunnel rescue operation that is underway to rescue the 41 trapped workers pic.twitter.com/PSF7jWcXNo
– ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
As the Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation enters the final stretch, the food for the trapped workers will be sent along with the ambulances.
“Aloo gobhi, roti, dal and rice is being sent for the trapped workers,” Vikas Rana, Assistant HR at the company constructing the tunnel, told the news agency PTI.
A temporary medical facility has been set up inside the tunnel. After evacuating the trapped workers, health training will be done at this place.
A team of doctors and experts are also present at the makeshift medical facility.
#WATCH | Uttarkashi tunnel rescue | Due to the rescue operation, a temporary medical facility has been expanded inside the tunnel. After evacuating the trapped workers, health training will be done at this place. In case of any problem, 8 beds are arranged by the health… pic.twitter.com/ehAXzwd5dV
– ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
“We are thankful to God and the rescuers who worked hard to save them,” Naiyer Ahmad, whose younger brother Sabah Ahmad is among the trapped workers, told the news agency AFP.
Naiyer has been camping at the site for over two weeks now.
Sudhansu Shah, who has also been camping out since shortly after the November 12 tunnel collapse waiting for his younger brother Sonu Shah, said relatives had started to celebrate.
“We are really hopeful and happy,” he said.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel will now pull out the trapped workers one by one with the help of wheeled stretchers tied to ropes.
The workers will lie upon low-height, wheeled stretchers and NDRF personnel will pull them out one after another using ropes, officials had said a few days back.
Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Silkyara and conducted on-site inspection of the ongoing rescue operations.
आज प्रातः सिलक्यारा पहुंचकर टनल में चल रहे रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन का स्थलीय निरीक्षण किया। श्रमिकों को बाहर निकालने हेतु 52 मीटर तक पाइप पुश किया जा चुका हैं।
इस दौरान टनल में फंसे श्रमिकों का कुशलक्षेम जाना और चिकित्सकों को श्रमिक भाइयों से निरंतर संपर्क में रहने के निर्देश दिए। सभी… pic.twitter.com/beR3j3A7mS
– Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) November 28, 2023
Arnold Dox was seen performing rituals with a priest at a small temple set up by the locals outside the tunnel.
#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | International Tunneling Expert, Arnold Dix joins a priest in praying for the safe evacuation of 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel. pic.twitter.com/8DZH95SN8x
– ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
The relatives of the trapped workers waiting for their return at the tunnel gate.
As rescuers move closer to trapped workers, garlands have been brought to the Uttarakhand tunnel site.
#WATCH | Garlands brought to Silkyara tunnel rescue site in anticipation of early rescue of 41 trapped workers#Uttarakhandpic.twitter.com/71opSj1sKt
– ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
#WATCH | The 41 workers who are awaiting rescue will be brought to Community Health Center Chinyalisaur for medical treatment after they walk out of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi pic.twitter.com/x3a4mwmqkS
– ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
On November 12, a section of tunnel between 205 and 260 metres from the Silkyara side collapsed. Workers who were beyond the 260-metre mark were trapped, with their exit blocked. Fortunately for them, the part of the tunnel where they are stuck has power and water supply. While government authorities have maintained that a detailed probe will reveal what led to the collapse, multiple theories are floating around. One of them is that a landslide in the fragile Himalayan region led to the collapse. Several experts have pointed out how hasty development in the ecologically sensitive region was responsible for the incident.
Preparations complete at Community Health Center Chinyalisaur for the treatment of 41 workers who will be brought here after they are rescued and brought out of Silkyara tunnel.
Union Minister General VK Singh (Retd), former advisor of PMO Bhaskar Khulbe and former Engineer-In-Chief and BRO DG Lieutenant General Harpal Singh (Retd) come out of the Silkyara tunnel.
#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Latest drone visuals show the latest status of the operation to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside Silkyara tunnel.
Uttarakhand CM tweets, “…work of inserting the pipe inside the tunnel is complete. All the workers will be… pic.twitter.com/vaiDRAnybC
– ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Latest drone visuals show the latest status of the operation to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside Silkyara tunnel.
Uttarakhand CM tweets, “…work of inserting the pipe inside the tunnel is complete. All the workers will be… pic.twitter.com/vaiDRAnybC
– ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
#WATCH | Uttarkashi tunnel rescue | Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami arrives at the site of Silkyara tunnel rescue.
He tweets, “…work of inserting the pipe inside the tunnel is complete. All the workers will be rescued soon.” pic.twitter.com/KUMWuUiRqb
– ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
Pipe-laying work to reach 41 workers trapped in the Silkyari tunnel in Uttarakhand for 17 days has been completed, Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami posted on X Tuesday afternoon. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, and medical professionals, are now on standby to enter the tunnel and work their way into the collapsed cavern to assess the condition of the trapped men and begin the process of bringing them out.
“As a result of immense grace of Baba Baukh Nagji (and) prayers of crores of countrymen and the tireless work of all rescue teams… the work of laying pipes in the tunnel to take out the workers has been completed. Soon all the labourer brothers will be taken out,” Mr Dhami posted on X.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami informs that the work of laying pipes in the tunnel to take out the workers has been completed.
बाबा बौख नाग जी की असीम कृपा, करोड़ों देशवासियों की प्रार्थना एवं रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन में लगे सभी बचाव दलों के अथक परिश्रम के फलस्वरूप श्रमिकों को बाहर निकालने के लिए टनल में पाइप डालने का कार्य पूरा हो चुका है। शीघ्र ही सभी श्रमिक भाइयों को बाहर निकाल लिया जाएगा।
– Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) November 28, 2023
#WATCH | Uttarkashi tunnel rescue | The ambulance went inside the Silkyara tunnel comes out now.
As per the latest update, the pipe has been inserted up to 55.3 metres and one more pipe has to be welded and pushed in. pic.twitter.com/7YZxV1rCIm
– ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
#WATCH | Uttarkashi tunnel rescue | An ambulance being taken inside the tunnel. As per the latest update, pipe has been inserted up to 55.3 metres. pic.twitter.com/ULnuwq2RrS
– ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
Nodal Officer for the Silkyara rescue operation and Secretary to the Uttarakhand government, Neeraj Khairwal informed that if there are no more hurdles, the rescuers are anticipating an early evacuation of the trapped labourers.
He said, “As of now, we have pushed 55.3 metres of the pipe. This includes clearing of the rubble as well as laying the pipe. Only a little more distance remains. It might be somewhere between 57-59 metres.”
“It might take a few more hours if there are no more hurdles. By evening we are hoping. Let’s pray and hope for the best,” he added.
The National Green Tribunal banned rat-hole mining in 2014 for being unscientific, but the practice continues to be rampant. Several accidents have resulted in deaths of rat-hole miners in the Northeastern state. In 2018, 15 men involved in illegal mining were trapped inside a flooded mine. Only two bodies could be recovered in the course of the rescue operation that lasted for more than two months. Another such accident took place in 2021 when five miners were trapped in a flooded mine. Three bodies were found before rescue teams called off the operation after a month. Add to this the environmental pollution caused by this method.
Rat-hole mining is a method of extracting coal by digging very small pits, not more than 4 feet wide. Once the miners reach the coal seam, tunnels are made sideways to extract the coal. The coal brought out is dumped nearby and later transported via highways. In rat-hole mining, workers enter the mines and use hand-held tools to dig. This is the most common method of mining in Meghalaya, where the coal seam is very thin and any other method risks being economically unviable. The small size of the tunnels make children the best fit for the hazardous job, and in a state that has limited options for livelihood, many line up for the risky job. Many children also pose as adults to get work in such mines.
Rat-hole mining to rescue the trapped workers began yesterday after a 25-tonne auger machine failed in the last leg of the challenging operation. This method of manual drilling has made quick progress and the diggers are now metres away from the workers who have been confined for 17 days.
- A team of 24 seasoned “rat-hole mining” experts are involved in the manual drilling process and excavate a narrow passageway toward the trapped workers.
- This time-consuming task will involve removing debris and creating a safe route for the rescue operation. The workers are just 5 metres away from the rescue team.
- Manual drilling operations began at the tunnel yesterday.
- Initial drilling efforts were conducted using a large auger machine that got stuck in the rubble on Friday, prompting authorities to look for alternative methods – vertical drilling from above the tunnel.
- Approximately 40% of the required 86-metre vertical drilling has been completed.
