Uttarakhand CM PS Dhami arrives in Uttarkashi, to take stock of the rescue operation underway at the Silkyara tunnel
“No one has been hurt, everyone is well. At the moment everything is fine. You will not see the augering anymore, auger (machine) is finished, is broken. It is irrepairable, no more work from auger,” says micro tunneling expert Arnold Dix.
“The drilling, augering has stopped. It’s too much for the auger (machine), it is not going to do anything more. We are looking at multiple options, but with each option we are considering how do we make sure that 41 men come home safe and we don’t hurt anyone. The mountain has again resisted the auger, so we are rethinking our approach. I am confident that the 41 men are coming home by Christmas,” says micro tunneling expert Arnold Dix
The damaged blades of the auger machine were taken out from the tunnel as the rescue operations entered its 14th day.
SJVN and ONGC teams have reached the hill above the Silkyara tunnel. Vertical drilling work will start as soon as the drilling machine arrives.
PTI shared the visuals from outside of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand as the operation to evacuate 41 trapped workers continued.
A senior official part of the Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operations said that the manual drilling work could start in the last 6-9 metres as soon as the auger drilling machine is brought out of the tunnel pipeline. The official added that the new drilling process today might bring good results.
Drilling at the collapsed Silkyara tunnel to rescue 41 men who had been trapped underground for 12 days was suspended again on Friday, according to authorities, PTI reported.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami says, “The rescue operation is in its last step. PM Modi takes all the updates about the difficulties that workers might face and discusses the solutions… All the agencies of both the central and state governments are working together for the rescue operation. We hope that soon this operation will be completed and all the workers will come out.”
Former advisor to PMO, Bhaskar Khulbe says, “Drilling will start after 45 minutes. There are no issues, it takes time to collect all the equipment… All the metal has been taken out… We are trying to rescue them (workers) by the evening.”
Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on the phone today. Information was taken about the rescue operation…The PM also inquired about the condition of the workers trapped inside the tunnel and the food and daily routine items provided to them. Information was also taken about the condition and safety of the personnel engaged in relief and rescue work…: Uttarakhand DIPR
NDRF demonstrates the movement of wheeled stretchers through the pipeline, for the rescue of 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara Tunnel once the horizontal pipe reaches the other side.
The brother of a trapped worker, Haridwar Sharma says, “My younger brother, Sushil Sharma, is inside. I had a conversation with him this morning around 8 am… Everyone is fine inside, and there are facilities. I asked him if he was facing any difficulties, and he said that there were no difficulties. They are all just hoping to come out soon. Everything is available there… There is a facility for bathing too… I said that you would surely get out…”
Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue: Platform for Auger Machine is strengthened using accelerating agent for rapid hardening of concrete. Welder’s team has gone inside the pipe for cutting of bent pipe. Cutting of bent pipe is ongoing. Auger reassembly will start shortly thereafter.
Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue: Union Minister General VK Singh (Retd) reaches the Silkyara tunnel site where the rescue operation is underway to bring out the trapped workers.
Former advisor to PMO, Bhaskar Khulbe says, “We hope that we will be able to rescue them (workers) by today evening.”
Former advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Bhaskar Khulbe has said: “We have been able to fix the auger machine strongly on its foundation. There were some obstacles on the mouth of the pipe, which we had to clear after cutting it. This is difficult work, hence it is taking time.”
He says: “The situation is much better now. Last night, we had to work on two things. First, we had to revamp the platform of the machine… Parsons Company had done the ground penetration radar, through which we got to know that for the next 5 meters, there is no metallic obstruction. This means that our drilling should be smooth. When we were taking out the debris, we got two mangled pipes…”
Priests at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain have offered special prayers for the safety of 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.
On the drone technology that is being used in the rescue operation, Cyriac Joseph, MD & CEO, Squadrone Infra Mining Pvt Ltd says, “This (drone) is one of the latest technologies which can go inside the tunnel, it goes into GPS denied areas and we can access if there is any convergence…”
Drilling work was halted on Thursday after a technical snag in the Auger drilling machine. Till now, rescuers have drilled up to 46.8 meters in the Silkyara tunnel and the operations are set to resume today.
Background
Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Ops Live: The rescue operations to safely evacuate the 41 workers trapped after a part of an under-construction tunnel collapsed in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi entered the 12th day on Thursday.
On Thursday evening, International expert Arnold Dix said the auger machine drilling through the rubble of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand is experiencing “some difficulties” again. The remark came just hours after drilling to rescue 41 trapped workers resumed after a six-hour delay caused by an iron girdle encountered by the American machine on Wednesday night.
Drilling had previously been halted from Friday afternoon to Tuesday night due to a mechanical issue. “Right now the auger machine is experiencing some difficulties, for the third time,” Dix told the Press Trust of India. “We’ve seen this before,” he recalled, as per PTI report.
He did not elaborate on the nature of the “difficulties” this time, and it was not immediately clear whether this would cause a significant delay in the rescue operation, which is now in its 12th day.
However, he remained optimistic about the rescue effort’s success. He stated that the work was being done cautiously, as it should be.
Workers trapped for 12 days in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel are expected to be rescued within the next few hours or by tomorrow, according to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain on Thursday evening.
The drilling operation to extract 41 trapped workers ran into difficulties, forcing a temporary halt to rescue efforts.
To rescue the workers, the government has implemented a five-pronged action plan, with five agencies – Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Sutluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, Rail Vikas Nigam, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation – assigned specific responsibilities, working collaboratively with occasional task adjustments for operational efficiency.
The THDC has begun building a rescue tunnel from the Barkot end, with four blasts already completed, resulting in a 9.10-metre drift. Attempts are being made to conduct three blasts per day.
Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
