Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue

All eyes are on the rescue operation of 41 workers in Uttarakhand where a collapse occurred in the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot due to debris falling in a 60-meter stretch on the Silkyara side on 12th November 2023. Immediate mobilization of resources by the State and Central Governments ensued to rescue the 41 trapped labours.

Initially opting for a 900 mm pipe through the debris, safety concerns led to the exploration of multiple rescue options simultaneously. The area of entrapment, measuring 8.5 meters in height and 2 kilometres in length, is the built-up portion of the tunnel, offering safety to the labours with available electricity and water supply. Five agencies—ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL—have been working collaboratively with occasional task adjustments for operational efficiency.

The blades of the auger machine stuck in the rubble at Silkyara tunnel were removed early on Monday (November 27). After the machine drilling through the debris in the collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel broke down – another major setback in the efforts to reach the 41 workers trapped inside for over 15 days – rescuers on Sunday were engaged in cutting through the blade of the drill. Now, rescuers plan to manually dig through the remaining debris to reach the trapped workers, say officials.