17-day Uttarkashi ordeal ends: After efforts and battle of 17 days, relief and happiness enveloped the faces of trapped workers, family members of upon receiving news of their successful rescue from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi on Tuesday evening.
The emotional moment unfolded as the culmination of exhaustive rescue efforts that captured the nation's attention.
The families, enduring prolonged desperation, celebrated the rescue and wholeheartedly thanked the government for bringing their loved ones back.
They marked the occasion by bursting crackers and distributing sweets. Some family members engaged in video conferencing with the workers to ensure their well-being.
Many relatives, who had reached the site a couple of days after the incident and had been camping there since were finally reunited with their loved ones.
17-DAY UTTARKASHI ORDEAL IN POINTS
- The Mammoth rescue operation was launched after a portion under-construction tunnel from Silkyara end caved in on November 12 trapping 41 workers.
- The major development came after a frantic 17-day multi-agency operation that relied, in the final stretch, on the banned manual "rat-hole"-mining technique.
- Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, or NDRF, had first gone down the pipe to assess the trapped men's conditions and guide them through rescue procedures. Each worker was strapped to a stretcher, which was then manually pulled up 60 metres of rock and debris.
- Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister of State General (Retd) VK Singh welcomed rescued workers with garlands and shawls as they breathed fresh air after 17 days.
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- Of the 41 men, 15 are from Jharkhand, 2 are from Uttarakhand, 5 are from Bihar, 3 are from West Bengal, eight from Uttar Pradesh, five from Odisha, two from Assam, and one from Himachal Pradesh
- 'New life to workers': Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the bravery and determination of rescuers involved in the Silkyara tunnel operation saying they had given new life to the labourers who had been trapped in the tunnel for the previous 16 days, and that the mission had set an "example of humanity and teamwork."
- ‘Wonderful Achievement’: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the Indian authorities for successfully carrying out the rescue operation to evacuate 41 workers who were trapped inside the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand. "A wonderful achievement by Indian authorities. Proud that Australian Professor Arnold Dix played a role on the ground," Albanese posted on X (formerly Twitter).
- The Uttarkashi tunnel under construction holds significance as part of the expansive Char Dham project, a national initiative aimed at bolstering connectivity to revered Hindu pilgrimage sites like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri
- With inputs from agencies
