Indian rescue operations faced a formidable hurdle on Friday as efforts to reach 40 miners ensnared in a collapsed tunnel approached a week with less than half of the debris successfully penetrated.
A supplementary heavy drill is poised to be airlifted into the northern state of Uttarakhand after the initial colossal apparatus, flown in as a replacement by the air force on Wednesday, encountered an impediment in the form of a boulder, as per officials.
Excavators, engaged since Sunday morning, have been diligently clearing debris to carve a viable escape route for the workers, who found themselves trapped when a segment of the tunnel they were constructing crumbled in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.
The rescue mission has grappled with the persistent challenge of falling debris, impeding the pace of recovery endeavors.
Engineers are diligently working to maneuver a steel pipe, approximately 90 centimeters in width, through the wreckage, providing sufficient space for the confined workers to traverse.
Anshu Manish Khalko, Director of the government’s highways and infrastructure corporation, stated on Friday afternoon, “Drilling has been executed up to 24 meters for safe extraction.”
However, he emphasized that approximately 36 meters of pipe still awaited installation to reach the trapped workers, acknowledging the inevitable time required for this task.
Following glitches with the initial earth-boring drill, the air force executed a strategic move by transporting a secondary apparatus on Wednesday via a C-130 Hercules military plane. The expansive drill bit spanned a considerable portion of the aircraft’s cargo hold.
Amid the race to liberate the entrapped miners, India has sought guidance from the Thai company that orchestrated the successful rescue of children from a flooded cave in 2018. Additionally, counsel has been sought from engineering experts specializing in soil and rock mechanics at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute.
Communication with the trapped individuals has been upheld through the utilization of radios, while a 15-centimeter-wide pipe serves as a conduit for the delivery of essential supplies, including food, water, oxygen, and medicine.
Official updates on the condition of the miners remain undisclosed, although local media reports hint at symptoms such as vomiting, headaches, anxiety, and stomach issues among some of them.
In response to potential medical emergencies, a six-bed field hospital has been established at the site, equipped with ambulances on standby for the potential transfer of severe cases to a dedicated medical facility.
The 4.5-kilometer tunnel under construction was intended to link the towns of Silkyara and Dandalgaon, connecting Uttarkashi and Yamunotri, two revered Hindu sites. This tunnel forms part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s infrastructure initiative, focused on enhancing travel connectivity to prominent Hindu shrines and border regions near China.
Experts have issued warnings about the repercussions of extensive construction activities in Uttarakhand, an area susceptible to landslides.
Notably, accidents on major infrastructure projects are not uncommon in India, with the catastrophic flash floods in Uttarakhand in January claiming at least 200 lives. Experts attributed this disaster in part to excessive developmental activities in the ecologically fragile region.
By AP
