Last Updated: November 26, 2023, 00:03 IST
Rescue and relief operation underway at the partially collapsed tunnel in Uttarkashi’s Silkyara. (Image/PTI)
Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Operation: The manual drilling of the collapsed tunnel will begin on Sunday
As the rescuers at the site of the Silkyara tunnel collapse continued to face hurdles after the auger machine got stuck in the debris, all the 41 trapped workers were given mobile phones and board games to remain encouraged through the last phase of the rescue operation.
According to the officials, the blades of the augering machine drilling through the rubble of the collapsed tunnel were on Saturday stuck in the debris, forcing officials to consider switching to other options that could drag on the rescue by several weeks more.
As per the reports, the manual drilling of the collapsed tunnel will begin on Sunday.
“This operation could take a long time. When you are working on a mountain, everything is unpredictable. We never gave any timeline,” National Disaster Management Authority member Lt Gen (retd) said on Saturday.
Here’s a look at the timeline of the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse and rescue operation:
November 12: The multi-agency rescue operation began after a portion of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel on Uttarakhand’s Char Dham route collapsed, trapping 41 workers, who still remain inside.
November 13: First contact was established with the trapped workers through a pipe meant to supply oxygen as well as walkie-talkies and they are reported to be safe.
November 14: An auger machine, which helps in horizontal drilling, is brought in to create a pathway for the pipes to go through the rubble and the workers were supplied food and water as well as medicines.
November 15: An American auger machine is sought, which leaves New Delhi after the regular auger encounters errors. Protest erupted at the rescue site.
November 16: Union Minister VK Singh visited the collapse site and the more powerful American auger, which was flown in using Indian Air Force aircraft, began work on the site.
November 17: The auger machine drills about 24 metres through the 57-metre stretch of rubble by the afternoon. Another auger machine is airlifted from Madhya Pradesh.
November 18: The Centre held a high-level meeting, where five methods of rescue were explored, including drilling vertically from the top of the hill and parallelly, from the side, to reach the workers.
November 19: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari reviews the rescue operation and says drilling horizontally appears to be the best option for the rescue of the 41 trapped workers.
November 20: The first major breakthrough in the rescue operation after a six-inch lifeline pipe was pushed through the debris of the collapsed tunnel and the first hot cooked meal ‘khichdi’ was given to the trapped workers.
November 21: First visuals of trapped workers, captured through an endoscopic camera sent in through a 6-inch pipeline, emerged.
November 22: Authorities said the rescue operation was in its final stage and ambulances, and hospital beds were kept on standby.
November 23: The auger machine encountered another glitch after it hit a metal pipe in the evening.
November 24: The rescue operations in Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand were halted again on Friday after the auger machine encountered another glitch.
November 25: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami says the auger machine is stuck inside the tunnel and a specialised piece of equipment is being flown in from Hyderabad to get it out.
