Uttarakhand tunnel rescue: Special teams from Thailand, Norway roped in to aid operation
PTC News Desk: Three special aircraft of the Indian Air Force are transporting a 25-tonne ray of hope for the 40 labourers who have been trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand for more than three days. The development comes after a landslide and technical issues hampered the rescue operation.
Special teams from Thailand and Norway, including one that assisted in the rescue of children trapped in a cave in Thailand in 2018, have also been called in to assist in the rescue of the labourers trapped after the under-construction tunnel on the Char Dham route in Uttarkashi collapsed early Sunday morning.
The special machine, which is being brought to the site from Delhi, can penetrate 4-5 meters of debris in an hour and, if all goes well, will assist in pushing the rescue pipe to the location where the labourers are trapped in 10-12 hours. The pipe has a diameter of 900 mm, which will allow the men to fit through.
The machine was expected to arrive late in the evening, and officials said it could be installed and work could begin a few hours later.
Special teams from Thailand and Norway
Teams involved in the rescue have contacted a Thai company that assisted in the 2018 rescue of a junior association football team trapped in Tham Luang Nang Non, a cave system in Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand. The rescue operation lasted more than a week and involved over 10,000 people, according to officials, and the company's expertise will be invaluable.
The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute is also being consulted for advice on how to carry out operations inside the tunnel. Experts from the Indian Railways and bodies affiliated with it, such as Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES), and Indian Railway Construction International Limited, are also making suggestions.
- With inputs from agencies
