Tunnel collapse: Kin of three more trapped Odisha workers to reach Uttarakhand

BHUBANESWAR: Family members of three more Odia workers will reach Uttarakhand, where the labourers have been trapped in an under-construction tunnel for a fortnight, an official said.

The kin of the two other labourers from Odisha are already in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district where the incident occurred.

Labour Commissioner N Thirumala Naik on Friday said one more official of the department will also travel to the site where two others are camping and providing all updates about the rescue operation to the government.

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A total of 41 workers have been trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel.

"While family members of two workers are already in Uttarkashi, those of another three workers will travel there on Saturday morning," Naik told PTI.

The state government is facilitating travel, food and accommodation of these family members, he said.

They will remain there till the completion of the rescue operation. All the five trapped workers from Odisha are doing fine, Naik added.

Of the five workers, Khirod Nayak, Dhiren Nayak and Bisweswar Nayak are from Mayurbhanj district, while Bhagwan Bhatra and Tapan Mandal hail from Nabarangpur and Bhadrak districts respectively.

Another labour department official said the family members of two workers, who are already in Uttarkashi, have talked to the workers over walkie-talkie sets.

Labour Minister SP Nayak said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been monitoring the tunnel collapse incident and is concerned over the safety of 41 workers, including five from the state.

The multi-agency rescue effort began on November 12 when a portion of the under-construction tunnel on Uttarakhand's Char Dham route collapsed, trapping workers who were still inside.