In a desperate bid to free 41 workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel in Uttarakhand for nearly two weeks, Indian rescuers are on standby as they dig through the final meters of debris. Ambulances and a field hospital stand ready for the exhausted men once freed from the under-construction tunnel.
Specially fitted stretchers with wheels are prepared to pull out the workers through 57 meters (187 feet) of steel pipe, once the final section is cleared. National Disaster Response Force chief Atul Karwal stated, “We have done rehearsals on how to get people safely out.” Rescue teams aim to extract the trapped workers cautiously to ensure their well-being.
After days of slow progress, a powerful drilling machine made a sudden advance on Wednesday, with engineers working through the night to cut through metal rods blocking the route. The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, emphasized that the operation is on a “war footing,” with a comprehensive setup of medical teams, ambulances, helicopters, and a field hospital.
Worried relatives anxiously await the breakthrough, and a Hindu shrine has been erected outside the site, where prayers are held for the safe rescue of the trapped workers. Rescue efforts face challenges from falling debris and technical glitches, but the teams are prepared for multiple contingencies, including blasting and drilling from the far end of the tunnel and the potential use of a risky vertical shaft.
The trapped workers were recently seen alive via an endoscopic camera sent down a thin pipe, providing a glimmer of hope. The tunnel collapse occurred as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s infrastructure project, raising concerns about extensive construction in landslide-prone areas like Uttarakhand.
By AFP
