Two of the three labourers of Himalayan Construction Company who had been trapped in an under-construction tunnel in Bilaspur district since September 12 were brought out safely on Monday evening.
Rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) lowered more than 40 meters of borehole from the vertical end into the tunnel of the Chandigarh-Manali four lane road project and succeeded in rescuing Satish Tomar and Mani Ram. Deputy Commissioner Manasi Sahay Thakur said the operation won’t stop until the third labourer Hirday Ram was found.
Operation delayedIntermittent rainfall and a snag in the heavy boring machine delayed the operation for quite some time, said the DM. The three workers were trapped inside the tunnel after a big rock collapsed on September 12 and massive debris blocked the entrance. Though contact was quickly established with the workers after cameras, lights and microphones were lowered into the tunnel, bringing them out was not so easy.
“I hope and pray to the almighty for the well being and safety of the third worker,” said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. He had ordered an enquiry into the incident. He said the district administration headed by the Deputy Commissioner had camped at the site to monitor the operations.
Both Satish Tomar and Mani Ram were taken to the district hospital immediately after being brought out from the tunnel.
Challenging taskPTI reports:
Mani Ram and Satish Tomar were in good health, said NDRF officials. The rescuers flashed the victory sign and screamed in jubilation after the two were brought out. Ram and Tomar too waved to the people as they were taken to hospital in an ambulance, accompanied by doctors. They wore goggles to protect their eyes from sudden exposure to light after nine days in darkness.
NDRF Director-General O.P. Singh, who is monitoring the operations from New Delhi, said the biggest challenge for his team was the loose rocks and seepage in the narrow approach to the main part of the tunnel.
“It was a very risky and long operation. We later used casing pipes to overcome this problem, but it could only be done for a small length. The boys did a great job under challenging circumstances.”
Three NDRF team members, including a sub-inspector, entered the main tunnel, but could not reach the workers as the tunnel was not wide enough and zigzagged. It had to be widened. Further, the water level in the tunnel was rising and pumps were brought in to drain out the water.
Mani Ram was first to be taken out after 211 hours and 47 minutes of operations. Satish Tomar emerged eight minutes later.
