The ongoing operation to rescue 41 workers, who were trapped inside the Uttarkashi tunnel, entered its 15th day on Sunday. A day before, the blades of the augering machine drilling through the rubble of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel got stuck in the debris, forcing officials to consider switching to other option.
According to an India Today report, authorities on Sunday began vertical drilling on the hilltop above the Silkyara tunnel to create an alternate route for the trapped men to be rescued.
Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Top developments
1. On Saturday, the blades of the auger machine drilling through the rubble got stuck in the debris, forcing officials to consider switching to other options that could drag on the rescue of the workers.
2. Reportedly, a landline facility has been set up at the tunnel in order to keep the workers connected with their family members.
3. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said at his media briefing on Saturday, "This operation could take a long time."
4. At the site where the incident took place, international tunnelling expert Arnold Dix repeated his promise of getting the workers out "by Christmas".
5. For nearly the entire day on Friday, drilling through the Silkyara rubble was at standstill. However, the extent of the problem was known on Saturday when international expert Dix told reporters that the auger machine was "busted".
6. The workers who have been stuck for nearly 15 days now are being sent food, medicines and other essentials through a six-inch wide pipe.
7. Amid the uncertainty over their rescue, the 41 workers have been given mobile phones to play video games and board games such as ludo, and snakes and ladders to bust their stress.
8. A high-level meeting was held with all the agencies and officials of the state administration engaged in the ongoing rescue operation to rescue the workers trapped in the tunnel under construction in Silkyara, Uttarkashi, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Saturday.
"Evacuating the workers safely is our top priority. Doctors have been instructed to keep in constant touch with the labor brothers and regularly check their health. We are continuously working keeping in mind all the options to get the labor brothers out safely," he added on X.
9. Separately, he stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking detailed information every day about the well-being of the workers and the ongoing relief and rescue operations in the tunnel. He said PM Modi is very sensitive towards the workers trapped in Silkyara.
10. The rescue effort began November 12 when a portion of the under-construction tunnel on Uttarakhand's Char Dham route collapsed following a landslide, cutting off the exit for the workers inside.
(With PTI inputs)
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