Union Minister VK Singh reaches Uttarkashi tunnel site to inspect rescue ops

UTTARKASHI: Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, General (retd) VK Singh, reached the Silkyara tunnel site on Friday to take stock of the ongoing efforts to rescue 41 trapped workers.

The workers have now been trapped for 13 days on the opposite end of a portion of the under-construction tunnel, which collapsed on November 12.

The rescue operations entered its final phase on Thursday, with officials saying that only a few metres were left to be drilled for the rescuers to reach the trapped workers.

However, due to another technical snag in the auger drilling machine, which had been specially requisitioned for cutting through the debris, the rescue operations were briefly halted on Thursday.

The rescuers drilled up to 46.8 metres inside the Silkyara tunnel till 10.20 pm on Thursday.

"Currently, the drilling machine is being repaired and it will take a few more hours to get it going again. Unless fresh problems crop up, the rescue operation should resume after 9 am tomorrow," an official told ANI on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stayed in Uttarkashi overnight to keep track of the ongoing rescue work. Officials informed that drone cameras were also being used to monitor the situation of 41 trapped workers inside the collapsed portion of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel.

"We are here to support the team and are working tirelessly. Our priority is to ensure the safety of the trapped labourers which is why we have deployed advanced drones to monitor the state of the workers real-time. The drones are equipped with the latest technology and can even go inside tunnels to capture footage. It also works in areas that are not GPS-enabled. This is the first time that such drones are being used in such an operation," Cyriac Joseph, the managing director and CEO of Squadrone Infra and Mining Pvt Limited, told ANI.