Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse: Trapped workers rescued
The workers who were trapped inside a collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand have been successfully rescued.
Dehradun: The workers who were trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand have been successfully rescued. The incident had prompted urgent efforts to extricate the workers, with various strategies being employed to ensure their safe rescue.
As per reports, a total of five stranded workers were rescued in the first phase. Efforts are on to rescue other workers.
To facilitate the rescue operation, ambulances were taken inside the tunnel, ready to provide immediate medical assistance to the rescued workers. Additionally, all ambulances in the vicinity were put on standby, prepared to rush towards the cave mouth to transport the rescued individuals to the hospital.
Safety measures were put in place along the 35-kilometer road to the hospital, which was designated as a zero zone, prohibiting any other movement during the rescue operation. This measure aimed to expedite the transportation of the rescued workers without any delays.
In an unforeseen development, the vertical drilling process was temporarily halted due to a snag in the auger machine. As an alternative approach, drilling from above the tunnel was pursued. Currently, about 40 percent of the required 86-meter vertical drilling has been completed, with experts working diligently to complete the remaining portion.
The manual drilling, carried out by 12 dedicated experts equipped with drills and gas cutters, began on Monday to navigate through the rubble and reach the trapped workers. They have made significant progress on the final stretch of debris in the collapsed section of the tunnel.
To ensure smooth and uninterrupted manual drilling, the decision was made to pause the vertical drilling, allowing the process to proceed without hindrance. As part of this, the necessary machine changes in the vertical drilling are being completed, preparing for a seamless continuation of the operation.
The collective efforts of the rescue teams, including the manual drilling experts, emergency responders, and medical personnel, have been instrumental in ensuring the successful rescue of the 41 trapped workers.
