Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: International Team Arrives At Rescue Site, Heavy Machines Also In

“The government is responsible for this. They didn’t pay attention to this. This kind of incidents have also happened in Varanasi and other places,” says Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai on Uttarkashi tunnel collapse.

Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: International tunneling expert Arnold Dix conducts a survey at Silkyara tunnel where 41 workers have been stuck since November 12.

As the rescue operations continue for the ninth day on Monday to evacuate 41 labourers trapped in the collapsed Uttarakhand tunnel, the rescuers have now come up with a new approach to reach the workers.

The American-made heavy-duty auger machine, deployed to drill and push in pipes through the rubble to prepare an escape passage, failed to make any breakthrough and was put on hold on Friday as it encountered a hard obstacle after digging in for 22 metres.

The rescuers have finally given up the approach of vertical tunnelling using different auger machines and the rescue work at the collapsed Silkyara tunnel was virtually on hold Sunday as the agencies prepared for the next stage. READ MORE

A boring machine arrives at Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel in which 41 workers have been stuck since November 12.

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue operation | President of International Tunneling Underground Space Professor, Arnold Dix arrives at Silkyara tunnel as rescue operation to bring out the stranded victims is underway.

He also offered prayers at a temple that is built at the main entrance of the tunnel.

International Tunneling Expert, Arnold Dix says “We are going to get those men out. Great work is being done here. Our whole team is here and we are going to find a solution and get them out. A lot of work is being done here. It is important that not only the men rescued but also the men who are rescuing are safe. The whole world is helping. The team here is fantastic. The plans are looking fantastic. The work is very systematic. The food and the medication are being provided properly…”

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: A priest offers prayers at a temporary temple installed at the tunnel entrance, where 41 workers have been stuck since November 12.

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) Tunnel rescue | In order to better deliver food and water to the workers trapped in the tunnel, instead of the 4-inch pipeline, a 6-inch pipeline was laid for around 40 meters. Rescue operation to bring out 41 stranded workers, is currently underway.

“Roads have not been constructed and the equipment is yet to arrive here, there is no progress. They (officials) are not even allowing us to talk to them (trapped workers).”

Family members of one of the 41 workers stuck inside a tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand react as rescue operation enters the ninth day.

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) Tunnel rescue | Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. PM took information about the ongoing relief and rescue operations of the workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi. PM Modi said that necessary rescue equipment and resources are being provided by the Central Government. The workers will be evacuated safely with mutual coordination between central and state agencies. There is a need to maintain the morale of the stranded workers: Uttarakhand CMO

Visuals from the rescue operation site in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand where 41 workers are trapped inside an under-construction tunnel that collapsed on November 12. The rescue operation was put on hold on Sunday as the agencies involved in the effort set themselves up for the next stage — adopting multiple approaches to reach the trapped workers.

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) Tunnel rescue | In order to better deliver food and water to the workers trapped in the tunnel, instead of the 4-inch pipeline, a 6-inch pipeline was laid for around 40 meters. Rescue operation to bring out 41 workers stranded after a part of the Silkyara tunnel collapsed on November 12, is currently underway.

“The priority in the entire operation is to save the lives of the workers. Multiple strategies have been employed including vertical and perpendicular drilling. The CM and I have taken the presentation and reports of the ongoing rescue efforts,” says Union minister Nitin Gadkari who along with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the tunnel collapse site in Uttarkashi.

Instructions have been given to the rescue team to complete the rescue operation of the workers trapped in the tunnel as early as possible. Former advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office, Bhaskar Khulbe and Deputy Secretary in PMO Mangesh Ghildiyal gave strict instructions to the rescue team. Bhasker Khulbe, Dy Sec Mangesh Ghildiyal and Secretary Disaster Management Ranjeet Sinha have left for Dehradun.: Dr Neeraj Khanna, Secretary Nodal

Rescue teams began the operation to insert a 6-inch diameter pipe inside the tunnel late early on Sunday as the eighth day of the rescue efforts kicked in. Officials on Saturday prepared to drill a vertical hole from the top of the hill to evacuate the workers stuck inside the tunnel for the last seven days.

Officials at the site are hoping to resume the mission — on pause since Friday — by Sunday afternoon. READ MORE

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) Tunnel rescue | The former advisor of PMO Bhaskar Khulbe and Deputy Secretary of PMO Mangesh Ghildiyal appealed to all the concerned departments involved in the rescue operation (RVNL, Navyug, ONGC, State PWD, BRO and THDC) and asked them to provide the final report on progress in the rescue operation by evening.

The government has undertaken a five-option action plan to rescue 41 workers trapped at Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi, since November 12, Road, Transport and Highways Secretary Anurag Jain said on Sunday, asserting that the Centre is committed to rescuing all the labourers safely.

As rescue operations continued for the eighth day, Jain, in a video brief update on the rescue operation, said that the government is committed to rescuing all the labourers safely and is sending multivitamins, antidepressants and dried fruits to the workers. READ MORE

“See the four figures. Horizontal and vertical drilling may take long and are equally disastrous. Best and least risky among the riskiest option could be a subway connecting both ends of debris to evacuate the trapped persons. Pray for their safety,” said Indian Forest Service Officer Manoj Chandran in a post on X.

When using earth-moving equipment failed, an auger machine was brought in. When this too didn’t work, the larger American-made drilling machine was airlifted by the IAF from Delhi.

A similar machine was also dispatched from Indore in case a replacement was needed. The vertical drilling equipment arriving next is too big to be hauled by air and will be brought to the site by road, the authorities said.

Uttarakhand Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha said the minister has suggested that there could be space between the top of the debris and the tunnel roof, and this could be explored by robots to see if another pipe for life support could be pushed through.

Road Transport and Highways Secretary Anurag Jain said multivitamins, antidepressants and dry fruit are being provided to the trapped workers. “Fortunately, there is light inside because the electricity is on. There is a pipeline, and so water is available. There is a four-inch pipe that was used for compression. Through it we are sending food from day 1,” he said.

The multiple-pronged approach now being adopted follows a series of setbacks after a portion of the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel collapsed the previous Sunday morning, blocking the way out for the worker who were ending the night shift.

So far Rescue workers had pushed in a six-inch wide tube up to 39 metres into the rubble. Once it cuts across the collapsed stretch, the trapped workers would be sent food and water through this pipe as well.

A smaller four-inch wide “compressor pipe” already runs through the debris and is being used to send in food, water, oxygen and medicines, officials said.

The stretch in which the workers are trapped is about two kilometres of the built-up portion of the tunnel and is 8.5 metres high. There is electricity and water available, a press release said.

The Rail Vikas Nigam Limited has begun work on a vertical pipeline for supplying essential items after the completion of the approach road to the top of the hill.