With the start of vertical drilling operations, progress has been achieved amid the difficult rescue operation in Uttarkashi, where 41 workers remain trapped under the collapsed tunnel. The hefty auger drill suffered damage, but rescuers nevertheless succeeded in drilling over 20 meters into the slope. An important milestone is anticipated for Thursday, when the drilling procedure is scheduled to be completed.
Workers are driving a 200-mm probe that has reached the 70-meter mark while carefully inserting 700-mm-diameter pipes to construct a safe path for people trapped within. The difficulty is being increased by replacing the broken US auger drill, which was instrumental in breaking through nearly 60 meters of debris, with hand-held power equipment for the final 10-15 meters.
To assist with the extraction of the auger shaft, experts from the Army’s engineering department and the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) arrived with a plasma cutter. There is only an 8.15-meter section left; therefore, the manual drilling method will be used this time. Workers will have to go inside the steel chute and use a drill while a pulley system takes care of the debris that is removed.
A 180-meter horizontal alternative escape tunnel is being excavated as part of a revised plan; this project is expected to take 12 to 14 days to complete. Concurrently, a network of communication has been set up that enables workers who are confined to communicate with their families. The two-kilometer-long trapped section of the tunnel is still structurally sound and allows for the continuous flow of food, medicine, and other supplies via a six-inch-wide conduit.
At the tunnel’s entrance, 41 ambulances were stationed to take workers to the Chinyalisaur Community Health Centre in case of an eventual rescue. To guarantee that they receive emergency care as soon as they arrive, a special ward with 41 beds outfitted with oxygen has been established.
The national government’s Char Dham all-weather road project includes the Silkyara tunnel, which is located around thirty kilometers from Uttarkashi. Tenacious laborers stranded on this vital infrastructure project must wait a long time as rescue operations continue, underscoring the operation’s complexity.
