400 hours and many setbacks later, Uttarakhand tunnel rescue op is a success

In the afternoon, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s social media post had provided the first sense of a breakthrough: “As a result of the immense grace of Baba Baukh Nag ji, prayers of crores of countrymen and the tireless work of all the rescue teams, the work of laying pipes in the tunnel to take out the workers has been completed. Soon all the brothers will be taken out.” In the evening, when contact was made, Dhami was in the tunnel with the rescuers.

The final leg of the rescue operation, which involves taking the men out one by one, was handled by personnel of the National Disaster Relief Force, with their state counterparts providing support.

Before the men were taken out, a temporary medical facility was established inside the tunnel in case anyone required immediate attention. The men have been in warmer conditions as compared to the outside, and blankets were arranged so they can acclimatise.

DC Nautiyal, a pharmacist on ambulance duty, said they will take the rescued workers to the Chinyalisaur Community Health Centre, 30 km from the tunnel, where a separate section with 41 beds has been prepared for them.

The National Disaster Management Authority said that the workers will be kept under medical observation for 48-72 hours. An Air Force Chinook was also on standby at the spot to airlift the rescued workers to the hospital if need be, and in case of any emergency overnight, workers can be taken to Rishikesh in ambulances.

The rescue also lifted a huge burden off 41 families, many of whom have been camping in Uttarkashi for days. “We missed Diwali, we will celebrate now,” said Jharkhand resident Aditya Naik, whose younger brother Gunodhar Naik (28) and cousin Ravindra Naik (32) were among the trapped workers.