NDRF Rescues 41 Trapped Workers in Tunnel, Ambulances Ready

A 15-member NDRF team, led by a commandant, has been assigned the mission of rescuing 41 labourers trapped for the past 10 days in the collapsed Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi. The rescue operations team is hoping to hear good news in the next hours. Determined efforts are being made to free workers stuck inside the tunnel which collapsed on November 12.

41 trapped workers are being evacuated! The rescue mission enters the final stage!!

NDRF personnel have simulated a drill to demonstrate their approach for traversing through the pipes to reach the other side of the debris where the trapped labourers are located, NDRF second-in-command (2 ic) Ravi Shankar Badhani. A total of seven pipes (four of 900 mm diameter and three of 800 mm diameter) have been inserted through the rubble so far. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) and Indian Railways (IR) have collaborated to operate a special train transporting equipment from Karambeli in Gujarat to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand.

The rescue team has reached 45 metres. It will take around 12 hours and it can take around 3 hours more to complete the remaining work, said former advisor to PMO, Bhaskar Khulbe. Once all the 41 trapped workers are rescued from the Silkyara tunnel, they will be transported to the Community Health Centre in Chinyalisaur. A ward with 41 separate beds has been prepared while 41 ambulances wait outside the tunnel to rush them there as soon as they crawl out.

“Ambulances are fully prepared, and we are set to transport trapped workers swiftly to the hospital via a designated route. Should the trapped individuals be in critical condition, we can even airlift them based on medical recommendations,” said the Garhwal Range IG KS Nagnyal at the rescue site. “If advanced medical care is required, they will be transported to AIIMS in Rishikesh. The entire state is vigilant and ready for action,” he further said.