Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari visit the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel . (Express photo by Chitral Khambhati)Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse Highlights (November 19): Amidst challenges, rescuers continue to try reaching 41 workers trapped for a week since last Sunday (November 12) in a collapsed under-construction highway tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district. After an inspection visit by Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, authorities have come up with a five-point plan that involves drilling operations from three sides. There will be a vertical drilling operation taking place from the top of the hill under which the workers are trapped. The efforts to drill horizontally through the debris blocking the tunnel at the Silkyara side will continue, and an operation to drill a small tunnel from the Barkot side will also begin, according to the plans.
The disaster management office updated the number of people trapped in the tunnel in the state to 41, revising it from the initial count of 40 since 5.30 am on November 12. Authorities have assured that all individuals are safe. The options are being explored after a high-capacity machine flown in from Delhi failed to drill beyond the 22-metre mark. Since then, several methods have been tried to rescue them – using large excavators to remove the debris; trying to drill through the rubble and insert pipes for the workers to crawl through – first by using a machine from Dehradun, and then one from Delhi. The debris is between 205 metres and 260 metres, and the workers are beyond.
What happened last Sunday (Nov 12) It was around 5.30 am on Sunday that the under-construction tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway, meant to connect Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi district, collapsed. While officials say the men are safe – communication has been established via walkie-talkies and they are being supplied food and oxygen via a pipe meant to supply water. People trapped inside the tunnel are labourers hailing from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, as per the District Emergency Operation Centre.
The work of removing the debris is going on continuously to rescue the workers trapped in the tunnel.( Express photo by Avaneesh Mishra)
With efforts to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarkashi since last Sunday undergoing several setbacks, authorities have come up with a five-point plan that involves drilling operations from three sides.
There will be a vertical drilling operation taking place from the top of the hill under which the workers are trapped. The efforts to drill horizontally through the debris blocking the tunnel at the Silkyara side will continue, and an operation to drill a small tunnel from the Barkot side will also begin, according to the plans.
Read more about the rescue efforts and the plan ahead here
Whatever is required to save the 41 trapped workers will be done and keeping the morale of workers and their family members high should be everyone's collective responsibility, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Sunday as he reviewed the rescue operation at the partially collapsed Silkyara tunnel.
The minister for road transport and highways, who was accompanied by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, said the rescue operation is challenging as the soil strata in the Himalayan region is not uniform. Horizontal drilling with the American auger is the quickest method in the given circumstances to reach the trapped workers, Gadkari said. "We are working on six options simultaneously. The PMO is also closely monitoring the operation. Our biggest priority is to save all those who are trapped and as soon as possible. Whatever is needed will be done," he said. (PTI)
Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Sinha provided an update on the ongoing situation at the Uttarkashi tunnel, where 41 workers remain trapped for over a week now. Here are the key decisions taken to intensify the rescue efforts.
The government is sending multivitamins, antidepressants and dry fruits to 41 workers trapped for the past seven days in an under-construction tunnel that collapsed in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, Road, Transport and Highways Secretary Anurag Jain said on Sunday. "Fortunately, there is light inside because the electricity is on. There is a pipeline, and thus water is available. There is a 4-inch pipe, which was used for compression. Through that, we are sending food from day 1," he said. (PTI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari visited the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel to review the rescue operation of trapped workers and addressed a press conference at the site
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached the scene to review the ongoing rescue and relief operation.
They were accompanied by Uttarakhand Chief Secretary SS Sandhu at Silkyara.
Speaking to ANI about the ongoing relief and rescue operations, CM Dhami said, "We are working on all the possibilities available. All types of expert teams are working here..." CM Dhami said that the state government is ready to provide all the help required to the agencies involved in the rescue operation.
"Saving everyone's life is our first priority... For this, the state government is ready to give all the help required to all the agencies... I will pray to God that they get rescued sooner, as their trouble is increasing with each passing day...," CM Dhami said.
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Additional Secretary Mahmood Ahmed, former Advisor to PM and Officer on Special Duty (Tourism) Bhaskar Khulbe, PMO Deputy Secretary Mangesh Ghildiyal, Engineering Geologist Varun Adhikari and Expert Engineer Armando Capellan at the spot to explore further options.
As per the NHIDCL report, five extra action plans are in place to help evacuate rescuers at the earliest.
Since last night, another lifeline service has been created.
The NHIDCL released its report on rescue ops updates today. Here are some top points:
Drone visuals of the tunnel collapse site in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Additional Secretary Mahmood Ahmed, former Advisor to PM and Officer on Special Duty (Tourism) Bhaskar Khulbe, PMO Deputy Secretary Mangesh Ghildiyal, Engineering Geologist Varun Adhikari and Expert Engineer Armando Capellan at the spot to explore further options.
Efforts were underway on Sunday to build an access road at the top of the hill above Silkyara tunnel for initiating vertical drilling to reach 41 workers trapped for seven days, with authorities hopeful that a platform to drill the hole might be ready by this afternoon.
Larger diameter pipes have also been inserted up to a length of 42 metres through the debris this morning to provide enough food and other essentials to the trapped workers, a control room set up at the site said.
Work on building the road began towards Saturday evening with personnel of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on the job, an official at the spot said. PTI
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will be visiting to conduct an on-site inspection of the operations.The CM will be accompanied by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari during his visit to the tunnel site to take stock of the relief and rescue work.
With no clear progress since Friday afternoon in the operation to save 41 workers trapped inside the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel, rescuers and the authorities are exploring other possibilities, including drilling a vertical tunnel from the top of the mountain to reach those trapped inside.
The options are being explored after a high-capacity machine flown in from Delhi failed to drill beyond the 22-metre mark. The workers have been trapped behind more than 50 metres of rubble since 5.30 am Sunday.
Since then, several methods have been tried to rescue them – using large excavators to remove the debris; trying to drill through the rubble and insert pipes for the workers to crawl through – first by using a machine from Dehradun, and then one from Delhi. Read More
On efforts to rescue workers trapped inside the tunnel, an official told PTI that they were making a track to the top of the tunnel and have decided on a point there from where vertical drilling will begin.
More than 72 hours after the under-construction tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district collapsed, rescuers tried a new way to reach the 40 workers trapped inside — burrowing horizontally underground without disturbing the loose rock and debris on the surface.
Attempts to smash through the pile of rubble using large digging and earth-moving equipment have not succeeded as the loose, almost crumbly, rock continues to fall, blocking the passage with fresh debris even as a path to the workers is being cleared. By Monday night, heavy excavator machines had removed around 21 metres of loose debris, but new debris showers had undone a third of the work, restricting the progress to only 14 metres.
On Wednesday, rescuers abandoned the traditional method, and started on a new “trenchless” technique of digging, using an ‘auger’ machine to create a 900-mm (3-foot)-wide stable passage of mild steel pipes for the trapped workers to crawl through. Although the first attempt at this failed with the auger machine unable to drill through the debris, a bigger, American-made machine is on its way from Delhi to do the job. Read explainer here
Rescuers trying to reach workers trapped for nearly a week in a collapsed highway tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district are working to replace the primary digging machine on Saturday to resume operations following a temporary setback.
A high-performance drilling machine that was airlifted from Indore in Madhya Pradesh was brought for rescue operation after a portion of an under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed, trapping several workers inside, in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district. (Credits: PTI)
An under-construction tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district collapsed at dawn on Sunday, trapping 40 workers inside. While an official report is awaited, Manoj Garnayak, a former project director at L&T and an expert in underground construction, explains how it could have happened — and how it could have been prevented.
The failure (the section that has collapsed) is located around 200-300 metres from the mouth of the tunnel. It could have happened due to a loose patch (of rock), which wasn’t visible during the construction. The patch might have consisted of fractured or fragile rock, that is, rock with a lot of joints that may have made it weak.
Another reason could be the seepage of water through a loose patch. Water erodes loose rock particles over time, creating a void on the top of the tunnel, which can’t be seen. However, these are only general principles, and we must wait for the results of a comprehensive investigation in this case. Read our explainer
Their voices are getting weaker, their strength seemingly dimming, those keeping vigil outside the Silkyara tunnel here said on Saturday after speaking to their relatives trapped inside for seven days – and counting.
The health condition of the men counting the hours inside the dark tunnel is worsening and his family back home getting increasingly panicky, said Haridwar Sharma, whose younger brother Sushil is among those inside the tunnel. "All we are getting are assurances from authorities that the trapped labourers will be rescued. It has been nearly a week," Sharma, who is from Bihar's Rohtas district, told PTI.
“There is no work going on inside the tunnel. Neither the company nor the government is doing anything. The company says a machine is on the way,” he added tearfully.
Bhaskar Khulbe, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) for the Char Dham Dream Project, said that four potential locations for constructing a parallel tunnel are being identified.
Meanwhile, his team also reached out to some agitated workers and tried to pacify them.
Geologist Warun Adhikari, who is inspecting the Silkyara tunnel incident site, mentioned that various options, including geomapping, are under consideration to enhance the rescue operation.
"We are exploring the different possibilities here, also geomapping... Geologists from the relevant organisations are here, we'll listen to their prospects then we'll decide the possibilities...RVNL, JVVNL...are here and we are also including ONGC, we are trying to contact all the PSUs," he said.
An under-construction tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district collapsed at dawn on Sunday, trapping many workers inside. The disaster management office has updated the number of people trapped in the tunnel in the state to 41, revising it from the initial count of 40 since Sunday morning.
Rescuers trying to reach workers trapped for nearly a week in a collapsed highway tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district are working to replace the primary digging machine on Saturday to resume operations following a temporary setback.
The disaster management office has updated the number of people trapped in the tunnel in the state to 41, revising it from the initial count of 40 since Sunday morning. Authorities have assured that all individuals are safe.
On Friday, work came to a halt when rescue workers attempting to restart the drilling machine heard a “large-scale cracking sound,” as reported by the state-run National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
The operation to rescue the workers trapped in the partially collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand has been halted since Friday. The setback occurred when a US-made auger machine, utilised for drilling and inserting pipes, developed a snag.
A replacement high-performance drilling machine, transported by air from Indore in Madhya Pradesh, has arrived at the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun. It is currently being transported by road to Silkyara, where it will be unloaded, assembled, and subsequently utilised for drilling, according to officials present at the scene.
An under-construction tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district collapsed at dawn on Sunday, trapping 40 workers inside. While an official report is awaited, Manoj Garnayak, a former project director at L&T and an expert in underground construction, explains how it could have happened — and how it could have been prevented.
What could have caused a part of the tunnel to cave in? What are the ways in which tunnels are excavated in rock? Garnayak explains
Mangesh Ghildiyal, Deputy Secretary PMO, arrived at the Silkyara tunnel on Saturday to monitor the rescue operation.
On the seventh day of the ongoing rescue operation, the families of the trapped individuals expressed frustration and anger. Relatives from different states have been spending nights near the tunnel, anxiously awaiting updates.
"Neither the government nor the company is doing anything. They are only giving us hope but are not doing anything," said the family member of one of the trapped individuals.
? The drilling operation faced a setback on Friday when machine bearings sustained damage from rock breakage and debris clearance, introducing a new challenge to the prolonged rescue endeavors, as per officials.
? Anticipating the arrival of a new machine on Saturday, rescuers are poised to resume drilling, according to Vijay Singh, an officer at the control room.
? Authorities commenced drilling into the rubble and debris on Thursday, covering a stretch of 24 meters (79 feet) thus far, reported Devendra Patwal, a disaster management official. It might be necessary to reach up to 60 meters (197 feet) to facilitate the escape of the trapped workers.
? Initially, rescuers aimed to complete the drilling and construct an escape tunnel of welded-together pipes by Friday night. However, operations were momentarily halted when a loud cracking sound emanated from within the tunnel, prompting concerns among authorities.
? Tarun Kumar Baidya, director at the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, explained from the accident site that they feared the high-intensity vibrations from the drilling machine could potentially dislodge more debris, further impeding the rescue efforts, news agency AP reported.
Rescuers, in their efforts to reach workers trapped for nearly a week in a collapsed highway tunnel in Uttarakhand, faced a temporary setback and are now anticipating the arrival of a second digging machine on Saturday to resume operations.
The disaster management office has updated the number of people trapped in the tunnel in the state to 41, revising it from the initial count of 40 since Sunday morning. Authorities have assured that all individuals are safe.
The augur machine drilling through the debris broke on Friday.
An under-construction tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district collapsed at dawn on Sunday, trapping 40 workers inside.
It was around 5.30 am on Sunday that the under-construction tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway, meant to connect Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, collapsed.
? Rescue operations faced an interruption due to a malfunction in a crucial equipment used for creating a passage, according to a source.
? Given the urgency of the mission, there was a need for rapid response in delivering the equipment to the rescue site.
? In a swift decision, the Indian Air Force initiated a special operation utilising the C-130J Super Hercules platform to accomplish the task, as per sources.
? The operation's success was attributed to precise execution, highlighting the proficiency of the IAF aircrew operating the C-130J, with the entire operation completed in less than five hours, the sources added.
? In the five-hour operation, Dharasu ALG (Advanced Landing Ground), located at Chinyalisaur, was identified as the nearest possible location for the expeditious operation, news agency PTI reported.
? The ALG is located nearly 30 km from the rescue site. Dharasu ALG is a short and narrow airstrip of 3,600 ft situated at an elevation of 3,000 ft above mean sea level, they said.
? The IAF utilised an "integrated approach handshake with civil administration and the BRO (Border Roads Organisation)".
As rescue efforts continue in Uttarakhand at the Silkyara tunnel site, officials announced on Friday that an Indian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft has been dispatched to airlift approximately 22 tonnes of essential equipment from Indore to Dehradun.
With dedicated efforts around the clock, rescue workers, utilising a powerful machine, have successfully drilled through up to 24 meters of debris in the Silkyara tunnel by Friday afternoon. This progress brings them closer to reaching the 40 labourers who have been trapped inside for five days.
The rescue operation to save 40 labourers trapped in an under-construction tunnel in Uttarkashi was met with another setback Friday afternoon after the new high-capacity machine could not drill further as it got lifted continuously and the bearings of the machine were damaged. Following this, the machine was anchored onto the platform.
The Jharkhand government has sent a three-member team under the leadership of IAS officer Bhuvanesh Pratap Singh to inquire about the wellbeing of 15 labourers of the state trapped in the Silkyara tunnel.
While talking to the journalists in Uttarkashi, Singh appreciated the efforts being made for relief and rescue by the Central and Uttarakhand governments and Uttarkashi District Administration and said that complete arrangements were made at the administrative level for the management of the disaster and rescue work. Describing the condition of the workers trapped in the tunnel and the arrangements made for their care as satisfactory, he expressed confidence that all the workers will be rescued safely soon.
As per officials, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) did a mock drill last night of how they will rescue the workerss once the drilling process is complete.
"Earlier the plan was to create a small but stable passage for the workers to crawl through, but now they plan to use stature connected with ropes, with wheel on it. Once the pipes are through, the workers would climb on it and pull to the other side using the ropes,"
For the redundancy of the machine already working, another machine (as a backup) is being airlifted from Indore and will reach here by Saturday morning. If the current machine stops, we can use that machine to finish the job," says Khalkho (A&F Director, NHIDCL)
When asked about the slow pace, which is just around 1 metres per hour, Director (A&F) NHIDCL Anshu Manish Khalkho says: They want to be extra cautious and ensure that the pipes are not misaligned by even a centimetre. Khalkho also mentions that after digging for around 35 metres more they will get a breakthrough.
He adds: "Another important thing to keep in mind is that the machine runs on diesel, and its working in an enclosed area. Therefore, continuous ventilation using the compressor is mandatory."
"By this time we are around 24 metres inside, which I think is very good. We are trying to reach the other side at the earliest. For the redundancy of the machine already working, another machine (as a backup) is being airlifted from Indore and will reach here by Saturday morning. If the current machine stops, we can use that machine to finish the job," says Anshu Manish Khalkho, Director (A&F) NHIDCL, speaking to The Indian Express.
Another 35 metres of rubble must be drilled through for a breakthrough
"The trapped workers have been provided food. They are fine. The auger machine is also working well. We pray to god they are evacuated as soon as possible," Navayuga Enegineering Company Ltd PRO GL Nath told PTI.
When asked about the progress of work, he said the fifth pipe is being pushed in.
Each of the 900 mm diametre pipe, being used to prepare an escape passage for the trapped workers, is 6 metre-long.
An American auger drilling machine was flown from Delhi to the tunnel Wednesday night to speed up rescue efforts as the earlier one deployed for the purpose had a capacity to penetrate only up to 45 metres of rubble, Adesh Jain, an expert overseeing the operation from the spot, said.
A district labour officer from the Odisha government, interacted with one of the labourers from the state trapped inside Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi. Five workers from Odisha are among the 40 trapped inside the tunnel.
As the operation to rescue 40 men trapped in a tunnel in Uttarkashi makes steady but slow progress, anxiety levels among their families are rising.
Uttarakhand resident Maharaj Singh Negi, whose brother Gabbar Singh Negi is trapped inside, arrived at the site late Monday night with his family, including Gabbar’s son Akash.
Akash managed to communicate with his father using a walkie-talkie. During the conversation, Gabbar reassured him about their well being and told him they were in continuous communication with the rescue team. Read more
As per Manoj Garnayak, a former project director at L&T and an expert in underground construction:
"Machines are working well. They (trapped workers) were given food, they are talking. They are in good health. Five more pipes are being inserted today," says GL Nath, Navayuga Engineering Company Limited (NECL) PRO.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Chief Medical Officer of Uttarkashi RCS Panwar reported some concerns regarding their health. He said that some of those inside have complained of minor headaches and nausea, and added that delivery of essential medicines, multivitamins, glucose and dry fruits is being ensured through a six-inch pipe to aid the men.
In the first two days, attempts to clear the rubble using large digging equipment failed since every time debris was removed, more would fall and take its place.
On Wednesday, a bigger, American-made ‘horizontal dry drilling equipment with auger’ was requisitioned from Delhi. The plan remained the same – of using the trenchless technique to create a small but stable passage for the workers.
Officials overseeing the rescue operation told The Indian Express there is a high chance that the current rescue plan will work, but in case it does not, they have backup plans ready.
Read more here
The heavy-duty drilling machine brought in from Delhi managed to bore through 12 metres of rubble of the collapsed tunnel on the Char Dham route in Uttarakhand as of late last night raising hopes for the rescue of 40 workers trapped inside for over four days.
Officials said in the evening that a six-metre section of a steel pipe had been inserted into the bored passage. Another section was being welded into it. PTI
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An under-construction tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district collapsed at dawn on Sunday, trapping 40 workers inside. Follow this space for the latest updates.