Uttarakhand: Heavy American Drilling Machine Installed To Speed Up Rescue Work As Operation Enters Day 5

Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: The American 'auger' machine has a penetration rate of 4-5 metres per hour and will speed up the process of preparing an escape passage for the trapped labourers.

A new heavy drilling machine, flown in from Delhi, has been installed as efforts to rescue 40 labourers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel of Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district entered the fifth day on Thursday, PTI reported. Colonel Deepak Patil, who is looking after the relief and rescue operation, said that the 'Jack and Push Earth Auger' machine, made in the US, was very advanced, IANS reported. The American 'auger' machine has a penetration rate of 4-5 metres per hour. 

A portion of the tunnel, part of the ambitious Char Dham all-weather road project, collapsed on Sunday. 

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Navayuga Engineering Company Limited, GL Nath, said the labourers trapped inside would be rescued shortly. The company is responsible for the construction of the tunnel from Silkayara to Barkot under the supervision of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).

"The (heavy drilling) machine has been installed, and the rescue operation will resume shortly. Those trapped are healthy and fine, and they shall be rescued soon," GL Nath was quoted by PTI. He further said that pipes were being used to provide them food every half an hour. 

The heavy drilling machine was airlifted from Delhi by three IAF transport aircraft on Wednesday to replace the "failed" equipment that was being used earlier. 

According to a PTI report, the plan is to use the ‘American auger’ machine to drill a hole through the rubble inside the tunnel and insert 800 mm and 900 mm diameter sections of steel pipe through which the trapped workers can crawl out.

The first machine was said to be too slow, and technical issues developed. Moreover, falling debris inside the tunnel damaged the machine and injured two rescue workers on Tuesday.

The new machine will speed up the process of preparing an escape passage for the trapped labourers.

Officials told PTI that the labourers were safe, and oxygen, medicines, food items, and water were being supplied to them through pipes.

According to a list of the trapped workers issued by the emergency operation centre, 15 are from Jharkhand, eight from Uttar Pradesh, five from Odisha, four from Bihar, three from West Bengal, two each from Uttarakhand and Assam, and one from Himachal Pradesh