Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: 41 trapped workers likely to be out soon

Forty-one workers trapped at Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel may be out today as the rescue operation has reached its final stage. At present, ambulances are waiting outside the tunnel and a team of experts from Delhi has reached the site.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was also present at the rescue site and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has been deployed for the same.

"Silkyara rescue operation is now in the final stages. The NDRF team is deployed to rescue the workers. An ambulance is deployed inside the tunnel and a team of doctors is deployed in the CHC located at Chinyalisur for health check-ups of the workers. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami himself is also present in Uttarkashi," the official statement said. 

Rescue officer Harpal Singh said that 44-metre-long pipes have been inserted into the debris via horizontal drilling. NDRF personnel, however, found steel rods inside the debris that the machine could not cut. 

Singh added that the NDRF personnel will cut those rods, after which the machine will be used again. Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela has arrived at the site as the final stage of the mission is on. 

Meanwhile, a hospital of 41 beds has been set up at the Community Health Centre in Chinyalisur for medical examination and treatment of trapped workers after they are rescued.

A collapse occurred on November 12 in an under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot due to debris falling in the 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel, due to which 41 workers were trapped. The labourers are trapped in a 2km-built portion, which is complete including concrete work that provides safety to the workers. 

Also Read: Uttarkashi tunnel collapse updates: Back-up tunnel being prepared, trapped workers served food, fruits