Uttarkashi Tunnel Crisis: Indian Army’s Last Hope – Manual Drilling to Rescue Trapped Workers

Rescue operations at Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel to evacuate the 41 trapped workers again hit a dead end! The auger machine got stuck while drilling through the rubble. The construction workers are from some of India’s poorest states. They have been stuck in the 4.5-km tunnel being built in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on November 12.

The last hope is the Indian Army! If they fail, there’s no way to save the workers!

The heavy drill machine, which was being used to break through the nearly 60 meters of debris was damaged on Friday. It needs to be pulled out entirely, according to an official statement. The drill machine is called an auger. It was damaged as it was being pulled out of the nearly 47-meter pipe inserted to bring out the trapped workers after hitting an obstacle. A senior official involved in the rescue mission told Reuters that since the damaged machine cannot be used, they are planning to cut through the remaining debris manually.

The Indian Army has been given the task of manual drilling. The army’s Madras Sappers will carry out this mission and their 20-member platoon has been hand-picked by senior officials. Preparations are underway to set up a protection umbrella inside the tunnel where rescuers are working to evacuate the 41 trapped workers.

Everyone is worried about the workers’ health!

More than a dozen doctors, including psychiatrists, have been at the site, talking to the men and monitoring their health.

The workers have been advised to do light yoga exercises, walk around in the 2 km space they have been confined to, and keep speaking to each other. Rohit Gondwal, a psychiatrist, said they were also considering sending in playing cards and board games.

Rescue workers rehearsed the evacuation by going into the pipe and being pulled out on stretchers, a video clip provided by the authorities showed.