Uttarkashi tunnel collapse | Drilling to rescue 41 trapped workers halted again: Officials

Drilling at the collapsed Silkyara tunnel to rescue 41 men trapped inside for 12 days was halted again on Friday, officials said.

Officials said the auger drilling machine faced a hurdle, apparently a metal object, soon after drilling resumed Thursday, a day after officials had put the operation on hold following a technical snag.

That snag was set right earlier in the day and the 25-tonne auger machine was restarted. But after a brief while the operation had to be stopped again in the second setback in two days.

PTI

Drilling at the collapsed Silkyara tunnel to evacuate 41 workers trapped inside for 12 days was yet to resume Friday evening, a day after it was put on hold following a snag.

Officials said in the afternoon that technical issues had been sorted and the drilling was set to resume in a couple of hours. But till evening there was no announcement that the auger machine had begun drilling through the remaining stretch of about 12 metres.

A ground penetrating radar has indicated that there are no metal hurdles up to five metres ahead of the passage drilled so far, Neeraj Khairwal, the State’s nodal officer for the multi-agency rescue effort said.

PTI

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that the rescue operation to extricate 41 workers trapped in a portion of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, which collapsed over a week ago, is “in its final stage,” adding that both the central and state government agencies are working together.

CM Dhami said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking all the updates regarding the rescue operation being carried out at the Silkyara tunnel.

“The rescue operation is in its last stage. PM Modi is taking all the updates about the difficulties that workers might face and discussing the solutions. Both the central and state government agencies are working together for the rescue operation.

ANI

Rescue workers were set to begin drilling at the collapsed Silkyara tunnel Friday after putting it on hold for several hours, following a snag that delayed the operation to evacuate 41 men trapped inside for 12 days, officials said.

Officials, at an afternoon news briefing, said that the technical problem that stalled the drilling on Wednesday had been set right, and the operation would begin in the next couple of hours.

The boring would resume after another section of steel pipes is welded to the chute already pushed through, they said.

A ground penetrating radar has indicated that there are no metal hurdles up to five metres ahead of the passage bored through the debris of the tunnel’s collapsed portion.

There is no technical problem with the auger machine, but the rescue workers needed to strengthen the platform on which it is mounted, the officials said.

PTI

After more than a week’s effort to rescue the 41 workers trapped in a portion of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, Additional Secretary Technical, Road and Transport Mahmood Ahmed on Friday said that the auger drilling machine, which developed some cracks on Thursday, has been reassembled and they hope to push the pipe further this time with no obstacles.

“The auger drilling machine has been reassembled. A new pipe will be put in after the welding, which will take two hours. After two hours, we will push the pipe inside the tunnel. We hope that we push the pipe further this time and will face no obstacles,” Additional Secretary Ahmed said.

ANI

NDMA member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said that relatives of trapped workers, Union and State ministers have spoken to them. “All post-evacuation arrangements are in place,” he added.

NDMA member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain has said there is still about 15 metres distance between the trapped workers and rescue services.

“There is about 15 metres still to be covered. By any means, we will bring out brave workers,” he said.

An NDMA member has said all resources are being used to rescue workers trapped in the tunnel, and asked the media not to make guesses on the timeline of completion of the operation.

“There has been no progress in movement of pipe through debris in Silkyara tunnel since Thursday,” Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retired), Member, NDMA, said at a briefing.

“All resources are being used to rescue workers. Drilling by auger machine is likely to start soon.”

“NDMA advises the media not to make guesses on timeline for completion of rescue operations as it creates a wrong perception. Central agencies, several State governments are involved in rescue operations,” he said.

Speaking to media persons, ONGC director Sanjay Bhatt said, “We are hopeful that the rescue operation will be concluded and the workers brought out safely by today. As of now, there is no major hindrance to the operation and everyone is hopeful that the workers will be rescued by this evening.”

Mr. Bhatt is at the tunnel site.

-ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on the phone and sought information about the rescue operation.

“Information was taken about the rescue operation...The PM also inquired about the condition of the workers trapped inside the tunnel and the food and daily routine items provided to them. Information was also taken about the condition and safety of the personnel engaged in relief and rescue work...” the Department of Information and Public Relations of Uttarakhand said.

-ANI

The NDRF has conducted a rehearsal of how it would take its wheeled stretchers through the chute being prepared to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel.

An NDRF personnel went through the passage, pushing a wheeled stretcher tied to a rope at the end of the tunnel and was pulled back up after completing the stretch.

- PTI

Rescue operations at the Silkyara tunnel were delayed for hours on November 23 as the drilling machine ran into an iron lattice girder, a structural element of the tunnel which had been buried in the debris and had to be removed manually. The machine only managed to bore through two more metres of debris by 6 p.m. on November 23, frustrating efforts to reach the 41 workers trapped by the collapse of the tunnel since November 12.

Former advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office Bhaskar Khulbe said boring through the rubble with an auger is likely to resume by 11.30 am and the operation might successfully be completed by the evening if everything goes well.

“We have 12-14 metres more to go. And I hope if all goes well we might conclude the operation by Friday evening,” he said. - PTI

Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, General (retd) VK Singh, reached the Silkyara tunnel site on Friday to take stock of the ongoing efforts to rescue 41 trapped workers.The workers have now been trapped for 13 days on the opposite end of a portion of the under-construction tunnel, which collapsed on November 12. - ANI

Former advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office, Bhaskar Khulbe on Friday said that the rescue operation to evacuate the 41 trapped labourers inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi will resume soon as the technical snag has been fixed.

Mr. Khulbe said that the platform on which the Augur drilling machine had developed some cracks on Thursday and has been revamped now. “We have been able to fix the Auger machine strongly on its foundation. There were some obstacles on the mouth of the pipe, which we had to clear after cutting it. This is difficult work; hence it is taking time. I hope that the drilling work will begin again by 11-11.30 a.m. Ground penetration radar study has shown that there is no metallic obstruction in the next 5 metres,” he said.

- ANI

As merely a few metres separated the rescuers and the trapped workers in the collapsed portion of the under-construction of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, a temporary camp office was put together at Matali for CM Pushkar Singh Dhami to monitor the ongoing operation real-time.

According to an official release on Friday, CM Dhami was closely tracking the ongoing efforts to safely extract 41 labourers, who were trapped after a portion of the tunnel on the Uttarkashi-Yamnotri road caved in on November 12. Apart from monitoring the rescue operation, the CM is also in regular contact with officers on the spot, issuing directions from time to time.

- ANI

In order to boost the mental health of the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel, rescuers are planning to provide them with board games and playing cards.

Dr. Rohit Gondwal, one of the psychiatrists at the rescue site, told PTI, “We are planning to provide ludo and chess boards and playing cards to help them (trapped labourers) relieve stress. The operation is getting delayed and it appears that it will take some more time.” He said all 41 workers are fine but need to stay healthy and mentally fit.

- PTI

Rescue teams managed to build a platform to stabilise the auger machine. A robot will be used to check if there are more iron or rock hurdles ahead before starting the drilling for last approx last 10 meters | Ishita Mishra reports