Sections of steel pipes were being inserted through the rubble of the collapsed portion for the workers, trapped for 11 days, to be brought out.
The Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation of the 41 workers trapped in a portion of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, which collapsed over a week ago, has been put on hold again after a technical glitch was faced by the rescue team on Friday evening.
The drilling by the American-made auger machine to rescue the trapped workers was halted after the rescue team faced a technical glitch.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday reached Uttarkashi to take stock of the ongoing rescue operation underway at the Silkyara tunnel.
Speaking to the media, Dhami said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very sensitive towards the workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel and he is taking detailed information every day about the well-being of the workers. Expressing hope for the successful rescue of the trapped workers, Dhami said, "We will soon be successful in evacuating the labour brothers safely.
Live updates:
Former Army Chief takes stock of situation
All 41 workers are safe: NDMA
"The good news is that the 41 workers are all safe. They are speaking to their relatives, the logistics are in place, the six-inch and four-inch pipes are all intact, the power line is intact, water is going inside...Vertical drilling will perhaps start in about 48 hours. I cannot lay a timeline fully yet, but hopefully, it should start in that time frame, provided all the machinery is in place," says NDMA.
Landline facility set up for trapped workers
Uttarakhand CM chairs high-level meeting on rescue operation
Uttarakhand's Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, led a meeting with state officials and agencies involved in the rescue operation at the Silkyara tunnel construction site. He highlighted the top priority: ensuring the safe rescue of the trapped workers.
47-metre digging has been done: NDMA
This operation may go longer, says NDMA
Retired Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain stressed patience in the ongoing rescue operation, mentioning progress in a 47-meter dig and the need to stabilize the area before continuing. He emphasized the importance of boosting morale among workers and their families as the operation might extend further.
The Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) team has once again come on standby mode to do vertical drilling. The team of 12 people at SJVN Limited is completely ready to do the drilling as long as they get the order.
Officials are exploring the option of vertical drilling too, as the heavy-duty auger machine that was used in the horizontal drilling through the mouth of the tunnel from the Silyara side hit an obstacle on Friday evening.
A final decision on the vertical drilling option is likely to be taken by Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.
On Silkyara tunnel rescue operation, International Tunneling Expert, Arnold Dix says, "There are multiple ways. It's not just one way... At the moment, everything is fine... You will not see the Augering anymore. Auger is finished. The auger (machine) has broken. It's irreparable. It is disrupted. No more work from auger. No more drilling from auger. There will not be a new auger..."
Damaged blades of the auger drilling machine brought out of Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel, where operation is underway to rescue 41 trapped workers.
Manual drilling to reach workers will start once Auger removed from pipeline, says official
"No heavy objects present up to 5 metres": Experts said on Uttarkashi rescue operation
Ground penetrating radar used to detect obstacles: NDMA
Lt General (Rtd) Syed Ata Hasnain, a member of the National Disaster Management Authority, disclosed on Friday that the use of ground-penetrating radar revealed a clear path without any obstacles for the next 5 meters within Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel, where 41 workers are currently trapped.
The NDMA representative further explained that once the augur advances by 5 meters, another round of ground-penetrating radar will be employed to identify any potential obstructions within the subsequent 5-meter stretch.
Rescue operation put on hold again due to technical isues
The drilling to rescue 41 trapped workers at the collapsed Silkyara tunnel, paused due to a problem, was supposed to restart Friday evening. Officials mentioned midday that they'd fixed the technical issues and planned to resume drilling shortly. However, by evening, there hadn't been any confirmation that the drilling, covering the last 12 meters, had begun with the auger machine.
Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation in final stage: CM Dhami
“The rescue operation is in its last stage. PM Modi is taking all the updates about the difficulties that workers might face and discussing the solutions. Both the central and state government agencies are working together on the rescue operation. We hope that soon this operation will be completed and all the workers will come out,” CM Dhami said.
CM Dhami arrives at rescue op site
Workers are likely to come out by evening, says official
Rescue efforts are underway in the Silkyara Tunnel, with plans to bring out the trapped workers by evening. Bhaskar Khulbe mentioned that drilling will commence shortly to aid in the rescue. Prime Minister Modi instructed the Chief Minister to prioritize health assessments and medical aid for the workers upon their rescue. Chief Minister Dhami assured the PM of closely supervising relief operations and maintaining grassroots monitoring within the tunnel.
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..."
Former advisor to PMO, Bhaskar Khulbe 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..."
Rescuers plan to provide board games and playing cards to the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel for 12 days as the operation to evacuate them continues to get disrupted by multiple delays, an official said on Thursday.
Madhya Pradesh: Priests at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, offered special prayers for the safety of 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
Latest visuals from outside the tunnel:
Drilling work was halted yesterday after a technical snag in the Auger drilling machine. Till now, rescuers have drilled up to 46.8 meters in the Silkyara tunnel.
Here is the late-night visual from outside the tunnel. Drilling work was halted after a technical snag in the Auger drilling machine. Till now, rescuers have drilled up to 46.8 meters in the Silkyara tunnel
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 "Uttarakhand tunnel collapse Live: Drilling halted after technical snag in Auger drilling machine")
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