A protest by workers chanting 'hamara aadmi nikalo' [take out our men] has broken out at the Uttarakhand tunnel collapse site as rescue operations enter Day 4 to save the 40 trapped workers. Workers clashed with the rescue officials demanding their fellow workers be pulled out.
Even as the officials assured that all the 40 workers were safe and were being supplied with the required essentials and oxygen, the agitated protestors expressed their frustration over the delay in rescuing the trapped workers and also over the absence of an alternative plan when the machines deployed to drill the rubble and cut out an escape did not work Tuesday evening.
On Tuesday, a fresh landslide hampered the operations further delaying the rescue of the workers trapped for over 70 hours.
The landslide occurred when the workers had begun inserting steel pipes through the rubble using an auger machine, however, the process could not be completed and two rescue officials were injured.
Anshu Manish Khalko, Director of National Highway & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited said, "We have airlifted a latest machine from Delhi and it may land anytime at the airport near here. The Indian Air Force is helping us. In the next 3-4 hours we will be able to install the machine and rescue work will resume."
Prime Minister Modi was apprised of the situation by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dhami and assured all the help required to safe the workers. A team from Jharkhand has also reached the site of collapse to help in the rescue operations on the instructions of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Around 10 workers among those trapped belonged to Jharkhand.
The incident occurred on Sunday morning and the government has constituted a six-member expert panel to probe how it happened.