Heartbreak after Uttarakhand tunnel rescue as trapped worker finds his father died waiting for him

After the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel partially collapsed, leaving 41 workers trapped inside on Diwali day, families of the men have gone through many ups and downs during a complicated rescue effort that had seen many ups and downs over 17 days. Most of the workers were from outside Uttarakhand, and 15 of them were from Jharkhand.

Basant Murmu (52), Bhuktu’s father, had held out hope throughout the process that his son would be rescued, the family said. From the village of Kundaluka Bankisol in Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum district, he had been following the rescue operation on the news. However, there was also a rumour spread in the village that all was not well.

“Some people told Basant Murmu that his son had already died and that the rescue operation was a lie. He used to rubbish it, but I think it got to him. And it appears he died because of the shock caused by these rumours,” said Rupchand.

Manjunath Bhajantri, Deputy Commissioner of East Singhbhum district, said Basant died just hours before the rescue took place, but said the cause of death was not known.

Hemalal Mahato (70), another father from Jharkhand who had eagerly been waiting for his son’s rescue from the tunnel, Tuesday brought great relief.

“I give blessings to all who rescued the 41 workers. What can I say? I consider myself fortunate that my son came back,” Hemalal, 38-year-old Bishwajit Verma’s father, told The Indian Express.

Bishwajit called his father, who was at their home in Giridih, soon after his rescue. “My father could not speak to me, he broke down. He told me to come home safely,” he said.