Efforts to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand have intensified, with a focus on horizontal drilling using an auger machine, as informed by Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Lt General Hasnain stated, "Our focussed effort is on horizontal drilling through the auger machine which has been brought from outside." In a significant development, the first visuals of the trapped workers emerged on Tuesday, bringing hope to their families.
The visuals, captured using an endoscopic camera sent through a six-inch pipeline, showed the workers wearing yellow and white helmets. The camera was inserted through the rubble of the collapsed portion of the tunnel on the Char Dham route, news agency PTI reported.
In a media briefing, Hasnain stated, "A 4-inch pipe was available, so we had a lifeline with the people inside through which survival rations, medicine, and other essentials were pushed through a compressor into the space where these workers are", as quoted by news agency ANI.
Lt General Hasnain reassured the public about the conditions inside the tunnel, mentioning, "There is sufficient water, oxygen, power, and light inside the tunnel." Families of some trapped workers have been transported to the site, and communication with the workers has been established through the existing four-inch pipe, he mentioned, as per ANI.
The rescue operation involves various agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Army engineers, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency services, Border Roads Organization (BRO), and other technical agencies of the Government of India. International experts are also present at the site to provide advice, he emphasised.
Officials are conducting rehearsals on-site to handle any contingency, and plans are underway to send equipment for better communication with the trapped workers.
Lt General Hasnain highlighted that the tunnel's interior provides ample space, approximately 2 km, dispelling the perception of a cramped environment. "There may be a perception that the trapped workers are in a cramped and constricted space, but it would be wrong to think so. There is ample space inside of about 2 km," he said, as per ANI.
He added, "The power grid line fortunately did not cut off, so there is lighting available inside."
The trapped workers, hailing from different states, have been in contact with their families through the existing communication infrastructure, offering some relief to the anxious relatives. The rescue teams continue their multi-pronged efforts as they enter the 10th day of the operation.