Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: IAF comes to rescue as evacuation of 40 workers halts due to landslide; top developments

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse updates: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has come to the rescue as the operation to rescue 40 workers stuck inside an under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi is still underway. Hercules aircraft of the IAF on Thursday brought three consignments of the new auger drill machine from Delhi to Chinyalisaur helipad. From there, the consignments were taken to the tunnel, which is about 35 kms from Chinyalisaur. 

A portion of the under construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed in the early hours of Sunday. Moreover, the tunnel workers also staged a protest at the accident site where the relief and rescue operations are underway. 

They demanded immediate evacuation of their fellow workers. The auger drilling machine and its platform were dismantled on Wednesday following a landslide on Tuesday night, which injured two rescue workers and further delayed rescue ops. 

Meanwhile, several teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are working in tandem to rescue the workers trapped inside the collapsed tunnel.

The rescue team is also in touch with experts from Delhi Metro as well as international organisations from Thailand and Norway to seek expert opinion on the tunnel rescue operations. 

Here are the latest updates on the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: 

1. Tunnel workers on Wednesday protested against the state administration and the construction company outside the accident spot. They are seeking immediate rescue of their fellow workers. 

2. The rescue operation was delayed due to a landslide on Tuesday night, which injured two rescue workers. Due to the landslide, officials had to dismantle the machine and restart the work on the platform for the drilling of the machine. 

3. A rescue team will attempt to lay a 900 mm huge pipe through the rubble to rescue the workers. Tracks may be installed in the pipe to take out workers from the tunnel so they do not have to struggle to get out through the pipe, India Today reported citing sources. 

4. Union Minister General (retired) Dr VK Singh is also slated to visit the accident site at 10:50 am today to take stock of the rescue ops. 

5. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday visited the accident site to review the rescue operations. He discussed with officials the strategy behind for safe rescue of the trapped workers.

6. Dhami said that pipes with large diameters are being transported to the site from Haridwar and Dehradun. 

7. The rescue teams are also seeking expert opinion on Uttarkashi tunnel rescue ops from Delhi Metro experts as well as organisations in Norway and Thailand. 

8. The team has connected with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) in Norway, an independent research centre, and Bazaar Ratchadaphisek, a Thailand-based utility tunnelling company. 

9. Officials said that the workers are safe, communication has been established and oxygen and food items are being supplied through a pipeline for water supply in the tunnel.

10. The 40 trapped workers include 15 from Jharkhand, 8 from Uttar Pradesh, 5 from Odisha, 4 from Bihar, 3 from West Bengal, 2 each from Uttarakhand and Assam and 1 from Himachal Pradesh. 

(With India Today inputs)

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