Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Six-member expert panel to probe accident, 900 mm diameter steel pipes brought for evacuation of 40 workers
On Tuesday, rescuers at the under-construction tunnel collapse site initiated the process of inserting large-diameter mild steel pipes through the rubble using an auger machine to rescue the workers trapped for two days now
- Nov 14, 2023,
- Updated Nov 14, 2023 11:26 AM IST
The Uttarakhand government has constituted a six-member expert committee to investigate the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse accident which trapped 40 workers. This comes as the rescue operations continued for the third day on Tuesday to evacuate these workers.
On Tuesday, rescuers at the under-construction tunnel collapse site initiated the process of inserting large-diameter mild steel pipes through the rubble using an auger machine to rescue the workers trapped for two days now, officials told news agency PTI.
The pipes will be pushed in using the horizontal drilling equipment to create an escape passage for the workers, who are safe and are being provided with oxygen, water and light food items such as dry fruits, they said.
Authorities have set a target of rescuing the trapped labourers by Tuesday night or Wednesday, Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha said.
A part of the tunnel being built between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway caved in on Sunday morning after a landslide, according to officials.
They said that the mild steel (MS) pipes and the auger machine arrived at the spot in the early hours of Tuesday.
A platform is being prepared for the auger drilling machine, the officials said, adding that the MS pipes have a diameter of 900 mm.
Earlier on Monday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took information through telephone about the situation of the workers trapped in the accident in the under construction tunnel near Silkyara.
Dhami also conducted an on-site inspection of the incident site and directed the officials to immediately supply necessary equipment for the rescue work.
"All the workers trapped inside the tunnel are safe and every effort is being made to get them out soon. Central agencies and experts are also deployed at Ground Zero to assist the local administration in the rescue operation," Dhami stated.
Uttarkashi's Chief Medical Officer RCS Panwar said a six-bed temporary hospital has been set up near the tunnel and 10 ambulances with medical teams stationed to provide immediate medical care to the trapped workers after their evacuation.
According to a list of the trapped workers issued by the District Emergency Operation Centre, 15 are from Jharkhand, eight from Uttar Pradesh, five from Orissa, four from Bihar, three from West Bengal, two each from Uttarakhand and Assam, and one from Himachal Pradesh.
(With PTI inputs)
The Uttarakhand government has constituted a six-member expert committee to investigate the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse accident which trapped 40 workers. This comes as the rescue operations continued for the third day on Tuesday to evacuate these workers.
On Tuesday, rescuers at the under-construction tunnel collapse site initiated the process of inserting large-diameter mild steel pipes through the rubble using an auger machine to rescue the workers trapped for two days now, officials told news agency PTI.
The pipes will be pushed in using the horizontal drilling equipment to create an escape passage for the workers, who are safe and are being provided with oxygen, water and light food items such as dry fruits, they said.
Authorities have set a target of rescuing the trapped labourers by Tuesday night or Wednesday, Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha said.
A part of the tunnel being built between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway caved in on Sunday morning after a landslide, according to officials.
They said that the mild steel (MS) pipes and the auger machine arrived at the spot in the early hours of Tuesday.
A platform is being prepared for the auger drilling machine, the officials said, adding that the MS pipes have a diameter of 900 mm.
Earlier on Monday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took information through telephone about the situation of the workers trapped in the accident in the under construction tunnel near Silkyara.
Dhami also conducted an on-site inspection of the incident site and directed the officials to immediately supply necessary equipment for the rescue work.
"All the workers trapped inside the tunnel are safe and every effort is being made to get them out soon. Central agencies and experts are also deployed at Ground Zero to assist the local administration in the rescue operation," Dhami stated.
Uttarkashi's Chief Medical Officer RCS Panwar said a six-bed temporary hospital has been set up near the tunnel and 10 ambulances with medical teams stationed to provide immediate medical care to the trapped workers after their evacuation.
According to a list of the trapped workers issued by the District Emergency Operation Centre, 15 are from Jharkhand, eight from Uttar Pradesh, five from Orissa, four from Bihar, three from West Bengal, two each from Uttarakhand and Assam, and one from Himachal Pradesh.
(With PTI inputs)