Rescue Operation: High-Capacity Machine Boosts Rescue Mission for 40 Trapped Workers

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On November 12, 40 workers were trapped inside a tunnel during work in Uttarakhand. The rescue operation is still run to save workers. Since 12 November, the rescue workers have been trying to make the path to the workers trapped inside as trash keeps failing and defeats the advance made. In this accident, workers who don’t see the happiness and lights of Diwali still face physical and mental challenges. 

Medical professionals have been nervous about the importance of accurate recovery for the workers who were trapped, Expressing apprehensions that the prolonged period of confinement may necessitate comprehensive mental and physical rehabilitation measures.

According to the recent updates, 25-meter drilling has been completed after the machine hit a metal item inside. Attempts are being made to cut through the metal by operating a gas cutter and the drilling machine work has been stopped for now. 

On November 12, the cave of a section of the Silktara Tunnel led to the trap of 40 construction workers inside the wreckage. The specialist rescue team came from Thailand and Norway, to deliver support for an ongoing rescue mission, this team is famous for the successful rescue of children trapped in a Thailand cave in 2018. 

Yesterday, the rescue team encountered another challenge when an auger machine was used to drill through the trash and make a route struggle to bring out the mission, on the other hand, prime tunnel workers and locals objected on the spot, against the administration and construction company. The rescue plan is the exact, operating the trenchless, technique and making a way with 900 mm wide mild steel pipes that the workers can creep through. 

In Uttarakhand, on Sunday around 5.30 am, an under-construction tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway, connects to Silkyara and Dandalgaon. Some officials person say that workers are safe and they continue to communicate with them through walkie-talkies and they are also supplying food, oxygen, and water through a pipe, over four days have passed since they got trapped. The people who are stuck inside the tunnel are laborers, who come from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, and Himachal Pradesh, as per the District Emergency Operation Centre. 

On Thursday, Federal Minister VK Singh said that the rescue mission could run on for another two to three days. Deepak Patil, who is the prime of the relief and rescue work told a reporter that 

Enough oxygen was being delivered inside the tunnel, so there was no problem related to breathing. He also said that the tunnel was well-lit and that mettle was high among the workers. 

In the most recent update, technicians are employing the Auger machine to drill a hole, having successfully penetrated over 24 meters into the debris. Renowned for its efficiency and robustness, the Auger drilling machine is expected to cut through 70 meters of rock, a substantial section of which tumbled from the roof during the rescue operation. This procedure is expected to be completed within an estimated timeframe of 12 to 15 hours. Assuming no additional obstacles arise, the workers may be safely evacuated either by the end of the current day or early tomorrow.

This failure happens due to a loose patch, which is not visible during the construction. The patch might have involved weak rock, that why rock with many joints may have made it weak. Another reason of happening this accident is the seepage of water through a loose patch. Water destroys loose rock particles over time, making a barren on the top of the tunnel, which can’t be seen. 

Uttarakhand CM, Pushkar Singh Dhami said to a reporter, “ We are in direct communication with them. All the arrangement are ready for them, every workers are safe. This work was done by NHIDCL. PM Modi is reviewing the rescue operation and the tunnel was on the margin of completion and just 400 meters were left.”

Also Read: Delhi’s Air Quality Returns to ‘Severe’ Two Days After Diwali

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