Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Rescue ops to continue tommorow, CM Dhami to stay overnight

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami is will stay overnight at the site as the rescue operation will continue tommorow. 

"Currently, the machine is being repaired, which will take a few hours. If no other problem arises, the rescue operation will possibly resume tomorrow morning after 9 am," said an official.

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse UPDATE: "We were hoping to see the workers this time yesterday, then we were hoping to see them this morning and then this afternoon. But, it looks like the mountain had different ideas. We have had to pause the auger (machine) operation at the moment and some repairs are being done to the machine. We are probably going to enter the next phase where we consider other options," says Arnold Dix, President of International Tunnelling Underground Space.

Drilling at Uttarkashi tunnel to evacuate trapped workers halted again, news agency PTI reported.

"The rescue operation is in full swing. We have got multiple rescue operations. All of the experts of India are here. I am still very relaxed. We are not rushing because if we rush, we might cause a problem that we can't imagine. It's a case of India leading by example, and we are gonna see 41 healthy men before Christmas and no one hurt," says international tunneling expert Arnold Dix on Uttarkashi tunnel rescue.

As many as 41 ambulances have been arranged at the spot of Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel where 41 workers remain trapped, an official told ANI news agency.

Mukesh Nautiyal, the Project Manager of Operation 108 Ambulance initiative said that out of 41 ambulances, 31 ambulances are of ‘108’ while the other 10 have been provided by the administration.

“There are 41 ambulances where 31 ambulances are of ‘108’ while the other 10 have been provided by the administration. Out of 31, 7 are ALS, while others are BLS. ALS stands for Advanced Life Support, and BLS is Basic Life Support. 27 ambulances are here, and there are 5 ambulances near the tunnel. All the ambulances are well equipped, it’s like a mini emergency,” Nautiyal told ANI.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is planning to pull out the trapped workers one by one with the help of wheeled stretchers tied to ropes, a senior official told PTI news agency on Thursday (Nov 23).

The rescue operation involves the NDRF men going through the pipe and once they reach the workers, they will use their equipment to start sending them out of the tunnel one by one.

The workers will lie upon low-height, wheeled stretchers and NDRF men will pull them out one after another using ropes, officials said.

A member of the National Disaster Management Authority has said that they hope the rescue operation to pull out the 41 trapped workers at the collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand will be completed by either today or tomorrow. 

Member of the National Disaster Management Authority, Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain said, "We hope to get success in this operation in the next few hours, or by tomorrow..."

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Garhwal Range, Uttarakhand, KG Nagnayl said that while the rescue is under progress and is expected to be carried out 'very soon', a stipulated time cannot be decided.

"The rescue work will go on at night as well," he said.

Rescuers have to drill up to around 57 metres in total to reach the trapped workers who have been stranded on the other side of the rubble. Broad pipes up to a depth of 45 meters were placed last evening.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (Nov 23) spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and took stock of the situation.

In a series of posts on X, CM Dhami said, "Respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi called today and took information about the ongoing rescue operation of the workers trapped at Silkyara tunnel, Uttarkashi."

"On this occasion, the Prime Minister was informed about the progress being made in the relief and rescue operations being conducted on a war footing in coordination with the central agencies, international experts and the state administration," CM Dhami added in his post.

NDRF DG Atul Karwal said that auger machines have started operating again.

"We are estimating to send 2-3 pipes of 6 metres inside. Hopefully, by the end of the day, if we do not get any obstacles, the rescue operation will be completed," Karwal said.

While interacting with reporters from the site of crisis, former advisor to the Prime Minister's Office, Bhaskar Khulbe said that "We had reached up to 45 metres; after that, a girder came in the way yesterday, that had been cut and removed. Now drilling work has started beyond 45 meters and we hope that within 12 to 15 hours we will reach up to 60 metres."

According to rescue teams, the operation involved drilling through the debris to push wide pipes for the trapped workers to walk out through. The auger machine, which drills through about 3 metres of debris in an hour, had earlier hit a metal obstruction.
 

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General Atul Karwal reached the tunnel collapse site on Thursday and said he is hopeful that workers will be rescued soon. 

"Our teams are ready, and I hope we will be able to rescue the workers soon" DG Atul Karwal said.

"NDRF is ready for all the consequences that we may have to face. Special equipment is also ready so that we can take the trapped workers out as early as possible. Our teams are ready, and I hope we will be able to rescue the workers soon," NDRF DG Atul Karwal told news agency ANI.

Union Minister General VK Singh (Retd) has reached the Silkyara tunnel site where the rescue operation is underway to bring out the trapped workers. The minister has been overseeing the operation since the crisis began on November 12.

Former advisor to the Prime Minister's Office Bhaskar Khulbe said that the steel that was obstructing the free movement of the pipe inside the tunnel has now been removed.

"We are trying to move 6 metres ahead of the 45-metre mark that we have already reached. During drilling last night, an iron metal had come in, due to which the work was stopped. We hope that there will be no more obstructions in our way ahead," Khulbe informed.

Uttarkashi Superintendent P Arpan Yaduvanshi said that the administration's "post-rescue action plan is ready."

"We will take the workers through the green corridor with a police escort and make sure that the best possible treatment is being provided to them. I think they will be taken to Chinyalisaur and then if necessary to Rishikesh. Some VIP movements are going to take place. Union Minister General VK Singh (Retd) and Secretary, North will also be coming," the official said.

The final leg of rescue operations have been halted and it might resume in forthcoming hours, The Times of India reported.

The publication noted that a team of experts from New Delhi arrived at a temporary helipad near tunnel site with machines to resolve the technical issues in drilling work.

Harpal Singh, project head of Zojila Tunnel and one of the rescue team members said, "...pipe has covered 44 metres and it has to go 12 metres more. The only obstacle right now is that a few steel pieces have come into the debris...so steel pieces are being cut now. I have full confidence that steel pieces can be cut within an hour and in the next 5 hours two pipes can be pushed in and the rescue operation could be over by 8 am in the morning".

"Silkyara rescue operation is now in the final stages. The NDRF  team is deployed to rescue the workers. An ambulance is deployed inside the tunnel and a team of doctors is deployed in the CHC located at Chinyalisaur for health check-ups of the workers. Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami himself is also present in Uttarkashi," an official statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office said.

The rescue operation has entered the final stages at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi where 41 workers remain trapped as National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have entered the tunnel, an official statement issued by Chief Minister office said on Wednesday.