Uttarakhand Tunnel: The first laborer among the 41 workers who were trapped in the under-construction tunnel of Silkyara in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand for the past 17 days has been successfully rescued.
Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue
In images released by the news agency ANI, workers are seen emerging from the tunnel and being safely transported in an ambulance. The rescued worker has been immediately taken to the health center of Chinyalisaur via ambulance, where they will be monitored by doctors.
Government sources report that both state and central government agencies, along with the army, various organizations, and globally recognized tunnel experts, collaborated in the extensive rescue operation for the trapped workers.
Numerous organizations and personnel, including NDRF, SDRF, BRO, RVNL, SJVNL, ONGC, ITBP, NHAIDCL, THDC, Uttarakhand State Government, District Administration, Indian Army, and Air Force, played crucial roles in the successful execution of the rescue operation.
Jairam Ramesh is a leader from the Congress party, shared on social media that in images from the tunnel, some workers are being brought out through pipes on stretchers. These stretchers are equipped with wheels at the bottom, allowing for easy extraction from within the pipes.
The rescue team initiated vertical drilling in conjunction with manual excavation using the rat-hole mining method, which began on Monday. Twelve experts specializing in rat-hole mining were enlisted to employ handheld tools in confined spaces. However, it’s worth noting that this method is controversial and comes with inherent risks, particularly due to the cramped conditions in which miners operate underground.
Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) entered a steel chute that had been carefully inserted into the drilled passage over several days, systematically extracting each worker.
In anticipation of the rescue operation, a specialized ward equipped with 41 oxygen-supported beds was established at the community health center in Chinyalisaur, located approximately 30 kilometers from Silkyara, to accommodate the rescued workers. Medical staff were on standby, and arrangements were in place to transfer workers to more advanced hospitals if the need arose.
The incident occurred approximately 17 days ago on the day of Diwali when the laborers were working in the tunnel. The collapse of the tunnel resulted in the workers being trapped behind a 70-meter-long wall of debris. Since then, a gradual process of debris removal has been underway, with assistance from both national and international experts.
Miners drilled the final section by hand to reach the workers in the 4.5km (3-mile) tunnel in Uttarakhand.
The men, who were brought out in wheeled stretchers through a 90cm (3ft) wide pipe, were taken to hospital for check-ups. No one was injured.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed admiration on Tuesday for the work carried out by various agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in the rescue operation in Uttarkashi.
“I am delighted to hear the news of the successful rescue of all the workers trapped in the tunnel accident in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The entire nation was closely following these efforts, and the success brings a collective sense of relief to the entire country. It is a moment of joy for the families of the workers, and I extend my congratulations to them,” Singh conveyed in a post on ‘X.’
Singh emphasized the significant contribution made by various agencies engaged in relief and rescue efforts, including NDRF, SDRF, Uttarakhand Police, and the armed forces, in rescuing the laborers under challenging conditions. “I heartily congratulate them,” added the Union Minister.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced on Tuesday that none of the 41 laborers rescued from the under-construction road tunnel in Uttarkashi district was in critical condition.
“All of them were in good health. They managed to crawl out of the passage rather than being transported on stretchers,” Dhami informed reporters shortly after the successful evacuation of the laborers from the Silkyara tunnel.
He mentioned that the laborers, who had been trapped in the tunnel for nearly 17 days following a landslide on November 12, would undergo medical observation before being discharged and sent home.
