All the 40 labourers trapped in an under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand are safe, authorities said on Monday, adding that the rescue operations may take two more days.
The trapped labourers could be rescued by Tuesday night or Wednesday, Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha told reporters after visiting the site.
The workers were trapped after a portion of the tunnel being built between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway in Uttarkashi collapsed in the early morning on Sunday.
"About 15-20 metres of rubble has been removed so far and the process is on. We plan to push in a steel pipe of 800 MM diametre by boring a hole into the heap of debris. We hope to rescue the trapped by Tuesday night or Wednesday," said Sinha.
Authorities claimed that they could communicate with the trapped workers several times and send them food and water through pipes.
The rescue strategy is now focused on stabilising loose muck by shotcreting (concrete spraying) and pushing in a large diametre steel pipe through the rubble to evacuate trapped workers, reported PTI.
According to an official statement, the collapsed area is spread over 30 metres and located 270 metres inside the tunnel from the Sikyara side.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the site and took stock of the rescue and relief operations. The chief minister himself went to the tunnel to review the rescue efforts.
Dhami assured that all kinds of resources and technical assistance will be provided to the operation.
"If there is a need, the government will make it available as soon as possible. If any need arises at any level, the government should be informed immediately," said the chief minister.
Superintendent of Police Arpan Yaduvanshi informed that short-creating is being done with machines to stop the cracking debris.
“Messages have been exchanged through pipes with the workers trapped in the tunnel. Oxygen is being supplied through pipeline. Through this pipeline, packets of gram have been sent to the workers trapped in the tunnel at night under pressure through a compressor," he said.
With inputs from PTI
