The efforts to rescue workers trapped in a collapsed under-construction tunnel in Uttarkashi appeared to be faltering on Friday, as a second drilling machine suffered damage, prompting authorities to slow down operations, call in another auger machine, and prepare a contingency plan. While thus far it was believed that 40 people were trapped inside, officials late on Friday evening said rescuers have now identified 41.
Officials said the workers, who have been trapped behind a 65-70 metre wall of debris for over 130 hours as of Friday evening, reported no deterioration in their condition after having earlier complained of nausea. Nuts, roasted chickpeas, popcorn and medicines were being sent to them via a pipe every two hours, officials said.
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“Rescuers have come to know that there are 41 workers trapped inside the tunnel,” Devendra Patwal, District Disaster Management Officer (DDMO), said.
While the progress in reaching the workers has been slow, officials supervising the operation said that the drilling machine has been able to drill a distance of 22 metres till Friday.
“We have made a significant progress and reached approximately 22 metres inside. Our goal is to reach the opposite side as quickly as possible,” National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) director Anshu Manish Khalkho said.
The size of the debris they have to sift through is between 65 to 70 metres, officials confirmed, after initially estimating it to be around 55 metres.
In the process currently being followed, the rescuers are drilling through the debris to push two pipes — 800mm and 900mm in diameter — one after the other to create a passage for trapped workers to crawl out of.
Aligning the pipes and welding them before pushing through the debris takes time, Khalko said.
“The pipes, each 6 metres in length, are aligned on the machine and pushed forward, with the auger drilling through debris and pushing muck backward. While this part of the process is relatively quick, the complexity arises during the alignment and welding of the pipes. The meticulous approach is intentional to prevent any misalignment, even for a centimetre,” the NHIDCL director explained.
Rescuers are also clearing rocks that came in the way of the machines and as the workers gain more experience with the terrain the pace will increase, Khalko said. “To expedite the process, four to five welders have been concurrently deployed,” he said.
Pipes had been pushed for 22 metres when there was a snag on Friday morning, said NHIDCL, which is building the tunnel.
“The machine is not able to push further as the machine is getting lifted” and its bearings are getting damaged, it said in a statement. “Now they are anchoring the machine to a platform,” it said. According to officials, at around 2.45pm on Friday, rescuers heard a loud crack while drilling through the runnel, prompting the authorities to briefly halt the operation.
At this pace, even if operations were to resume under the current method, the rescuers will need at least two more days to reach the workers.
Another “backup auger machine”, meanwhile, has been called in from Indore and is expected to reach the site by Saturday morning.
The machine “is being airlifted from Indore and is expected to arrive by Saturday morning,” Khalko told reporters.
In the first four days of operations, two rescue attempts failed.
In the first, rescuers tried to dig through the rubble using heavy excavator machines, but loose rock and sand collapsing from the roof of the tunnel impeded progress.
Then they tried to drill a hole using an auger machine and fitting large pipes. But the attempt was stymied when the machine suffered damages after hitting a boulder.
Around 10.30am on Thursday, the third attempt began with an auger machine flown in from Delhi. While the first auger machine with 35 HP (horse power) had the capacity of drilling 1 metre per hour, the new 175-200 HP machine could cut through rock at 5 metres an hour. This machine, however, has failed to make any progress beyond 9am on Friday.
Another challenge that could hurt the operations is that the diesel-run auger machines are being operated in an enclosed space.
“Diesel machines should ideally not operate in such confined spaces as the vibrations and need for continuous ventilation pose risks. But there is no other option, which is why we must run at optimal speed without rushing,” Khalko said.
The concerns about the health of the trapped workers continued to mount. They are communicating with rescue teams clearly, and being provided essentials, officials said.
“They are being helped constantly and are mentally strong. We are constantly talking to them,” an official said requesting anonymity.
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A team of geological experts is now exploring a “plan C” and trying to identify suitable locations for creating a “parallel vertical tunnel followed by a horizontal one and vice versa”, said a second official.
“Initially, we did not conduct this survey as we believed we could navigate through the 60 metres of debris. However, based on a previous survey, we identified that a minimum drill depth of 103 metres will be required for this plan C. Implementing a 103-metre vertical drill poses risks as it may lead to additional debris falling. Nevertheless, if the current plan proves ineffective, we may consider exploring this alternative option,” this official said.
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