Silkyara Tunnel (Uttarkashi): On Silkyara tunnel rescue, Additional Secretary Technical, Road and Transport Mahmood Ahmed said, "Two more pipes of six metres length each have to be inserted. The first six metres, which reach 51-52 metres, with the next six metres length we hope to breakthrough." The rescue operations to evacuate 41 trapped workers from the under-construction Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district resumed on Friday, a day after it was halted due to the development of cracks on the platform on which the drilling machine rests, official sources said.
Uttarakhand Finance Minister says beds ready in local hospital: Uttarakhand Finance Minister Premchand Agarwal said, "We have kept 41 beds ready in the local Chinialisaur hospital. If all are normal, they will be admitted there. Nearby hospitals have also been asked to be alert. I myself have visited the Chinialisaur hospital."
He also claimed that AIIMS in Dehradun and Hrishikesh have also been asked to be vigilant. "There are workers from different states. All are important to us. Our aim is to rescue all safely," he added.
NDRF rehearses rescue operation: Earlier, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) conducted a rehearsal of how it would take its wheeled stretchers through the chute being prepared to retrieve the trapped workers. The exercise involved NDRF personnel going through an 800 mm diameter steel pipe sent through the rubble at the tunnel to rescue the workers, pushing a wheeled stretcher tied to a rope at the end of the tunnel and being pulled back up after completing the stretch.
The NDRF personnel, who went into the passage, were lying on the wheeled stretcher facing downwards. An official said there was enough room inside the pipes for the rescue personnel to move through and he had no difficulty breathing during the exercise.
Rescue to be completed by Friday evening: Drilling through the rubble might successfully be completed by Friday evening if everything goes well, former advisor to the prime minister's office Bhaskar Khulbe said. The data scanned by a ground penetrating radar did not bring up any metallic obstruction up to five metres beyond the 46-metre point through the rubble, he said.
After the cracks, the drilling machine's platform has been revamped and strengthened. "Boring through the rubble with auger resumed," Khulbe said, adding that "We have 12-14 metres more to go. And I hope if all goes well we might conclude the operation by Friday evening."
On Thursday morning, drilling resumed after a six-hour delay induced by an iron girder in the driller's path late Wednesday night. The drilling had progressed by 1.8 metres after Wednesday night's setback, according to official sources.
Since parts of the tunnel collapsed on November 12, the rescue efforts had to be halted for the third time. Efforts were on to stabilise the platform on which the drilling machine was mounted. The latest hurdle cropped up as the rescue operations were entering the final stretch of 10 to 12 metres. Earlier, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) officials claimed that the rescue operations would be completed successfully by Thursday night or Friday morning.
On November 12, 41 labourers got trapped as portions of the Silkyara under-construction tunnel on the Brahmkhal-Yamunotri highway collapsed following a landslide at around 5.30 am on the day of Diwali. Rescue efforts involved the district administration and multiple agencies, including the NDRF, SDRF, BRO, project executing agency NHIDCL and ITBP.
Food and medicine are being sent to the trapped workers through a six-inch wide tube and communication has been established with them. The workers have been asked to move around inside the entrapment and stay engaged in conversations among themselves.
Drilling done up to 46.8 metres: Drilling up to 60 metres has to be done for rescue in the Silkyara Tunnel. For the last 13 days, 41 workers have been 60 metres inside the tunnel after the collapse. Now about 14 metres more drilling has to be done. Had there not been obstacles in the way of drilling, the rescue operation would have been completed on Thursday morning or during the day.
All technical problems have been resolved at the rescue operation site. It is expected that today, on the 13th day of the tunnel accident, the rescue operation in the Silkyara tunnel will be completed. Till now, pipes have been drilled and laid up to a distance of 46.8 metres.
Tunnel mining experts: Experts in tunnel mining in the country are reaching the Silkyara site. A team of six tunnel mining expert engineers of Squadron Infra from Bengaluru has reached the Silkyara Tunnel. This team analysed the situation inside the tunnel with the help of Artificial Intelligence. Their inputs are expected to be very useful in completing the Silkyara Tunnel Rescue Operation.
To remove the recurring obstacles in rescue operations, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) ordered two advanced drones from Bengaluru. On Thursday, these drones also reached the rescue site. These advanced drones gave accurate information about the debris so that the rescue teams have an idea of where debris may fall during the operations.
Heavy drilling machine being used is causing vibrations triggering concerns about the fall of more debris. In such a situation, NHIDCL (National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited) had called a team of expert scientists from Roorkee. This team investigated the vibrations caused by the American Heavy Drilling Auger Machine and submitted a report.
CM Dhami at rescue site: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been getting regular updates from the tunnel accident site where Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is camping. Dhami stayed at the Silkyara tunnel with the rescue team and technicians on Thursday night.
Dr Jugal Kishore, a doctor at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, said, 'When such a situation occurs, they have to face both mental and physical challenges. Not getting food and water for a long time can lead to electrolyte imbalance. There may be a possibility of dehydration. Due to a clouded mind, they may not be able to make any decisions. The muscles of their body must have become very weak. Therefore, it may be difficult for them to walk."
Ambulances kept ready: Ambulances are kept on standby to carry the trapped workers to the hospital once they are rescued. Horizontal drilling of 800 mm diameter steel pipes reaches about 45 metres with only 12 metres remaining of the around 57-metre debris stretch. A pipe has been laid through the rubble to supply oxygen to the trapped workers and they are reported to be safe.
Read More
