Uttarkashi tunnel rescue enters 13th day as technical challenges continue

The ongoing Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation, now stretching into its thirteenth day on Friday, November 24, has yet to retrieve the 41 trapped workers inside the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel, part of the Char-Dham all-weather road project in Uttarakhand.

The operation, expected to reach the workers on Thursday, November 23, faced critical hurdles as technical issues persisted in the final leg, reported the Press Trust of India.

Technical challenges

• During the last leg of operation, the platform on which the Auger drilling machine was mounted at the Silkyara side had developed cracks.
• The steel pipe that was being inserted to get to the buffer with the 41 workers also developed some issues.
• These two snags halted the operation on Thursday, November 23.

• Bhaskar Khulbe, former PMO Advisor, on Friday, November 24, confirmed that the platform's repair had been done, while the pipe is still being fixed.
• "Our target is 60 meters, and the next 5-meter stretch is expected to be manageable as the debris is soft," said Khulbe.
• The rescue team has drilled 46 meters, with 14 more meters to reach the trapped workers, Khulbe added.

 Rescue operation

• The use of a drone equipped with advanced technology has been integral to the rescue mission.
• Cyriac Joseph, CEO of Squadrone Infra Mining Private Limited, said that the drone operates in inaccessible areas, aiding in understanding potential convergences inside the tunnel.

• 41 ambulances have queued up on Silkyara side to take them to a hospital nearby since Thursday, November 23.
• The NDRF has reportedly prepared for the evacuation once the tunnelling work is through. They also kept stretchers ready for the ones who could not crawl out.