Rescue Operation Nears Completion in Uttarkashi Tunnel Incident: NDRF Personnel Enter Silkyara Tunnel
Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India], November 22 – The rescue operation at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, where 41 workers remain trapped, has entered its final stages, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s office. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have entered the tunnel, and an ambulance with a team of doctors is on standby for the workers’ health check-ups.
The rescue operation has been ongoing for the past 11 days, with the NDRF personnel intensifying their efforts. Oxygen cylinders have been provided to assist in the rescue, and a 41-bed hospital has been prepared at the Community Health Centre in Chinyalisaur for the medical examination and care of the trapped workers.
I had a conversation with my brother-in-law who is trapped here. He is stable and healthy. The workers have received food, clothes, and other items. Hopefully, they will be rescued by tomorrow morning. The doctors also had a conversation with the trapped workers, said Sunita Hembram, a family member of one of the trapped workers.
The rescue team has successfully completed a 45-meter pipe drilling to evacuate the trapped workers, and around 30 ambulances have been arranged at the site for emergency services if needed. Bisan Singh Panwar, Ambulance Technical Staff, stated, We have oxygen cylinders available in the ambulances. Once the workers come out, their vital organs will be checked. A total of 30 ambulances have been arranged so far, including eight advanced life support ambulances and 22 BLS ambulances. We have been instructed to remain alert as the rescue operation might be completed by night.
The efforts to rescue the workers will continue, and there is hope that significant progress will be made. Former advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office, Bhaskar Khulbe, said, I am very happy to tell you that, with the work we were doing for the last hour, we have drilled another 6-meter length with an American Oger machine. I am hopeful that in the next 2 hours, work will start for the next phase.
The government has stated that ONGC is mobilizing machinery from the USA, Mumbai, and Ghaziabad for vertical boring. Mahmood Ahmed, Additional Secretary Technical, Road and Transport, said, If there are no obstacles, some big news may be received tonight or tomorrow morning. An iron rod has also come along with the debris. It is a matter of happiness that this iron in the middle of laying the pipeline did not create any problems for us.
Nigel Wirtz, L&T Safety Head, expressed optimism, saying, The current situation is that they are drilling away. Hopefully, they are going to break through. It looks like it is going to happen. We are also assisting with the micro-tunneling as well. The job has to be done correctly and in a systematic way.
The trapped workers in the Silkyara tunnel have been in high spirits, according to former advisor Bhaskar Khulbe, who spoke with them. I spoke to them, and everyone was in high spirits. Let us hope we will be able to achieve it, he said.
The incident occurred on November 12, 2023, when a collapse happened in the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot due to falling debris. The rescue operation, undertaken jointly by five agencies including ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL, will continue until all the workers have been safely evacuated.
