Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Drilling to rescue trapped workers put on hold again

Rescuers will “stabilize” the platform on which the 25-ton drill is mounted before drilling resumes, officials said.

Uttarkashi: Drilling through the rubble of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel was suspended again on Thursday after the platform on which the equipment was mounted developed some cracks, dealing another setback to the effort to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside.

Rescuers will “stabilize” the platform on which the 25-ton drill is mounted before drilling resumes, officials said. Sections of steel pipe were pushed through the rubble of the collapsed section to allow workers, who had been trapped for 11 days, to be brought out.

For the past eleven days, 41 workers have been stuck in the Silkyara tunnel. Earlier, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt. Gen. Syed Ata Hasnain had said the rescue operation was likely to be over within hours or tomorrow. “I expect that we will be successful in this operation in the next few hours or tomorrow,” Hasnain said in a media briefing.

The NDMA member also said that the horizontal drilling for rescuers may face 3 to 4 more hurdles. Hasnain further said that 41 ambulances, one each for stuck workers, are present at the tunnel site, and there are also facilities to transport workers in serious condition.

The men were stuck for the past 11 days after a section of the under-construction tunnel on the Uttarakhand Char Dham route collapsed, blocking its exit. Rescue operations to evacuate workers resumed Thursday morning after an overnight obstacle delayed drilling by several hours.

Action plan with five options:

The government has taken a five-option action plan to rescue the workers and five agencies, namely Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Sutluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, Rail Vikas Nigam, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation, have been assigned specific responsibilities got. , working together with occasional task adjustments for operational efficiency.

THDC has started construction of a rescue tunnel from the Barkot end, with four blasts already completed, resulting in a drift of 9.10 meters. Attempts are being made to carry out three blasts a day.

Microtunneling equipment needed for horizontal drilling to rescue workers has reached the site. The platform is likely to be completed by November 24, 2023. The equipment must be installed by November 25, 2023.

Work is underway to create a drift in the tunnel, with a safe channel of 180 meters to 150 meters.