Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Manual drilling phase to evacuate trapped workers to start soon, know action plan
Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: As operations to rescue the 41 trapped workers at the Silkyara Tunnel collapse site entered day 16, there was some positive news with Micro tunnelling expert Chris Cooper saying that all the debris of the auger machine has been removed and manual drilling to reach the trapped labourers will start in a few hours.
The auger machine already being used for horizontal drilling of the tunnel that got stuck inside the pipe was cut and removed using a plasma cutter.
The 9 meters of hand tunneling is left so far. The crucial phase all depends upon on how the ground behaves. Could be quickly, could be a bit longer.
Meanwhile, the rescue team reached the site to provide technical inputs and further aid the ongoing rescue operations. He added that efforts are made on all fronts to speed up the rescue process.
As per official sources, the rat hole mining technique will be used through manual drilling to remove the debris inside the pipe to accelerate the rescue.
The rat hole mining technique is generally used in coal mining, especially in regions that have difficult terrain.
The whole evacuation process is being conducted by a team of 6 specialists and as per the action plan 11 people will go inside the 800 mm pipe of the tunnel to remove the debris manually. The team includes engineers from the Indian Army's Madras Engineering Group as well as civilians.
In collaboration with the Border Road Organisation and other agencies, efforts are also underway to enter from the other mouth of the tunnel that is the Barkot side. Four blasts were undertaken under the supervision of BRO and so far only 10 metres out of 500 meters have been covered.
Notably, the collapse occurred on November 12 during the construction of a tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot, trapping 41 labourers due to a muck fall in a 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel.
Local communities and relatives of the trapped workers continue to offer prayers at a temple erected near the tunnel entrance, where the relentless rescue operations persist.
The 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
