Final Stages in the Rescue of 41 Workers Trapped in Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse

Indian rescue teams are on the brink of successfully reaching 41 construction workers who have been entrapped in a collapsed mountain tunnel for more than two weeks in northern India. Officials have reported significant progress in drilling through the debris to access the trapped individuals in Uttarakhand state.

Overseeing the rescue operations, Syed Ata Hasnain, a representative of the National Disaster Management Authority, revealed that only 2 more meters (approximately 7 feet) need to be cleared. The workers will be rescued through a passageway of welded pipes, which has been carefully pushed through the obstructing dirt and rocks.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttarakhand’s chief official, conveyed optimism on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), assuring that the workers will soon be rescued.

Kirti Panwar, a spokesperson for the state government, described the intense manual labor involved in the rescue mission. Teams worked tirelessly through the night, manually drilling through rock and debris, inching closer to the workers in what is hoped to be the final phase of this operation.

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Manual Efforts Intensify to Rescue Workers Trapped in an Indian Tunnel

The rescue effort faced a setback when a drilling machine broke down last Friday. This occurred as the machine was boring horizontally due to the rugged terrain of Uttarakhand, having completed nearly 47 meters (about 154 feet) of the needed 57-60 meters (approximately 187-196 feet). Following this, rescuers resorted to hand drilling to forge a path to the trapped workers.

Hasnain updated on Tuesday that more than 55 meters have been successfully drilled so far. Rescue teams have strategically placed pipes in the excavated areas, welding them together to form a channel for evacuating the workers on wheeled stretchers.

The workers have been trapped since November 12 following a landslide, which led to a partial collapse of the 4.5-kilometer (2.8-mile) tunnel approximately 200 meters (650 feet) from its entrance.

As an alternative strategy, rescuers started creating a vertical channel with a replacement drilling machine on Sunday.

What was initially anticipated as a short-term rescue mission has now extended into weeks. Officials remain cautious in providing a definitive timeline for the operation’s completion.

Arnold Dix, an international tunneling expert aiding in the rescue, expressed optimism on Tuesday, noting the smooth progress of drilling both above the mountain and within the tunnel.

The majority of the trapped workers are migrant laborers from different parts of India. Many of their family members have journeyed to the site, maintaining a vigil in hope of reunion.

After initially surviving on dry food, the trapped workers are now receiving hot meals through a 6-inch (15-centimeter) pipe. Oxygen is supplied separately, and a team of over a dozen medical professionals, including psychiatrists, are monitoring their health at the site.

The tunnel under construction is part of the Chardham all-weather road project, intended to connect various Hindu pilgrimage sites. However, some experts caution that this project might aggravate the already unstable conditions in the upper Himalayas, known for its landslide-prone terrain.

Uttarakhand, a destination for numerous pilgrims and tourists visiting its Hindu temples, has seen an increase in visitor numbers due to ongoing construction of infrastructure in the region.

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More about Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue

• Rescue Efforts in Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse
• Chardham All-Weather Road Project
• Uttarakhand Landslide