Uttarkashi: Rescuers, who scouted overnight to rescue around 40 workers trapped after an under-construction tunnel on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway collapsed in Uttarkashi, have established contact with them and provided them with oxygen, food and water, officials said on Monday.
According to them, the trapped workers are safe, communication has been established with them, and oxygen is being supplied through a pipeline laid for water supply in the tunnel. Through the same pipe, food items were supplied to the trapped workers by creating pressure through a compressor at night.
A part of the tunnel collapsed on Sunday morning, leaving around 40 labourers trapped inside. The tunnel is part of the Char Dham all-weather road project.
Meanwhile, heavy excavator machines have been deployed for the removal of debris. At least 40 workers were trapped after a portion of an under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed on Sunday morning.
Police, National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel launched a search and rescue operation on the spot immediately after being informed of the incident, Uttarkashi Superintendent of Police (SP) Arpan Yaduvanshi said.
The workers are safe and have asked for food, which is being sent to them, the Silkyara police control room said, adding that communication has been established on walkie-talkies.
Dredging and drilling through the debris inside the under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon is going on to prepare an escape passage for the trapped labourers, according to the district emergency operation centre.
According to the District Emergency Operation Centre, the labourers are from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
About 160 personnel of agencies such as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are trying to rescue the trapped labourers.
Officials on Sunday were optimistic about the safety of the trapped labourers as enough oxygen was made available to them through a water pipeline. Earlier, giving details on the ongoing rescue operation at the tunnel, Mritunjay Kumar, the loader operator, said that the team was removing the debris using excavators and other heavy machines. He also said mucking was being done with the loader & excavator. Approximately 30-35 meters of the tunnel have been broken.
Earlier in the day, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela said the priority of the administration is to evacuate workers trapped inside the under-construction tunnel, and rescue operations are ongoing on war footing.
Uttarkashi SP Arpan Yaduvanshi on Sunday said a portion of the under-construction tunnel connecting Silkyara to Dandalgaon collapsed on Saturday night. A part of the tunnel broke about 200 metres ahead of the starting point on the Silkyara side of Brahmakhal-Polgaon. Yaduvanshi said according to the officials of Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Limited (HIDCL), which has been contracted to build the tunnel. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday to enquire about the rescue efforts being carried out.
