Partial Tunnel Collapse on Yamunotri National Highway in Uttarakhand During Construction

A portion of an under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway in Uttarkashi district collapsed in the early hours of Sunday. Around 40 workers got trapped inside. Rescue operations are ongoing to evacuate!

The fatal incident took place on Sunday! Workers are still trapped!

portion of the under-construction tunnel between the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed on 12 November. Rescue operations are still going on to evacuate 40 workers trapped inside the collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand. Trucks carrying pipes have arrived to create a platform for drilling and inserting metal pipes to reach the trapped workers. All the material and machinery needed for the daring operation has been brought to the site. Experts from the irrigation department have also joined the operation.

According to the authorities, a platform is being prepared for an auger machine to drill horizontally and insert large 900 mm diameter MS pipes in between the debris so that the trapped workers can be taken out through the metal pipes. The rescue teams have made little headway in cutting down the rocks that fell over a 200-meter area, trapping the workers inside the tunnel. The 40 workers were trapped inside a tunnel in Uttarakhand for over 48 hours. Around 21 metres of slab blocking the tunnel has been removed but a 19 metres passage is yet to be cleared.

Videos from the spot showed huge piles of concrete blocking the tunnel. twisted metal bars from its broken roof buried in rubble creating more obstacles for rescue workers. The workers are mostly migrants from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Initial reports suggest that a landslide in the region triggered the collapse. however, officials say that an investigation is on to ascertain the exact reason for the collapse.

According to the officials, the workers are unharmed and are being supplied with food and oxygen through water pipelines. “They have a buffer of around 400 metres to walk and breathe,” a Disaster response official said.