'We are safe': Trapped labourer from collapsed Uttarkashi tunnel speaks to son

A labourer trapped inside the collapsed Uttarkashi tunnel has spoken to his son. The labourer, identified as Gabbar Singh Negi, is one of the 40 workers who are still trapped inside the tunnel. 

Negi spoke to his son over the phone and said that he and the other workers are safe. He said that they have enough food and water, and that they are waiting to be rescued.

Speaking to the news agency PTI, Negi’s son Akash said, “I was allowed to speak to my father for a few seconds using the pipe through which oxygen is being supplied to the stranded workers."

"He said they were safe. He asked us not to worry as the company is with them," Akash added.

When Akash spoke to his father, he was accompanied by his uncle Maharaj Singh Negi at the accident scene.

"We were initially not allowed by the policemen to talk to those trapped inside. When I convinced the inspector that hearing from a relative would comfort the stranded labourers as well as the concerned family members and strengthen their hope for a safe rescue, he relented and I sent Akash to speak to his father," Maharaj Singh Negi told PTI.

The authorities informed Maharaj Singh Negi not to worry because the tunnel is unclogged and empty 2 kilometres beyond the point where the labourers are stranded.

Gabbar Singh is one of two Uttarakhand residents trapped inside the tunnel, along with 38 others.

In the early morning hours of Sunday, November 12, a section of the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel, situated on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway, dramatically collapsed, trapping approximately 40 workers inside. The enormity of the incident left the authorities scrambling to conduct an immediate rescue operation. 

These trapped workers, who are from different regions of the country, faced an unfortunate ordeal due to this unforeseen event. A regional breakdown reveals that 15 workers are from Jharkhand, followed by eight hailing from Uttar Pradesh, five from Orissa, four from Bihar, three from West Bengal, two each from Uttarakhand and Assam, and one from Himachal Pradesh. 

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