Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: A senior official stated on Wednesday that the rescue crews, who have been working for 11 days to free 41 people from the partially collapsed tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, can anticipate “some big news” in the coming days.
Mahmood Ahmed, the Additional Secretary Technical for Road and Transport, stated that “some big news” was anticipated because more 880 millimetre pipe had been forced several metres into the debris.
According to him, three pipelines were pulled into the debris by rescue crews. “We started drilling using auger machine at 12:45 am and I am happy to share that we have drilled 39 metres and also inserted pipe of 800mm. We are progressing well. We are also doing horizontal drilling from Barkot side and have entered till 7.9 metres,” Ahmed said.
However, he stated that he would not be able to give an accurate time period for their rescue as long as the authorities get 45 to 50 metres within the tunnel.
“As long as we reach 45-50 metres inside the tunnel, we will not be able to give you the exact time,” he said.
“If there are no obstacles, some big news may be received tonight or tomorrow morning. An iron rod has also come along with the debris. It is a matter of happiness that this iron in the middle of laying the pipeline did not create any problems for us,” he added.
To free the stranded workers, five public sector organizations—ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL—have been working nonstop.
On November 12, the tunnel that was being built to connect Silkyara and Barkot collapsed.
The first images of the rescue personnel were relayed out of the tunnel on Tuesday when an endoscopic camera was inserted by the crews. According to NDRF official Ravi S. Badhani, the authorities were in close proximity to the labourers.
“The rescue operation is going really well. A good horizontal drill is happening… According to my knowledge, we are very close to victims now… It’s difficult to give a time frame, but it’s time-consuming… The situation of the trapped worker is fine. They were given the morning breakfast. Communication is well established. They are talking nicely to their family members. Their morale is high,” he told ANI.
Drilling has been done by the rescue teams in two directions. Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, stated that the workers will be saved shortly. “The auger machine is working and we hope that all our worker brothers will be out safely soon,” he said.
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