The operations to rescue the over 40 workers trapped under a collapsed tunnel at Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand are being carried out on a war footing on Monday morning. It has been over 24 hours since a portion of an under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway collapsed.
The SDRF is leading the rescue operations and contact has been established with the trapped workers, reported ANI. There are so far no reports of any casualties.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took to Twitter to provide an update. "The SDRF, NDRF and state administration teams are working with full force to rescue the workers trapped in the accident that occurred during tunnel construction near Silkyara in Uttarkashi." he posted.
Over 100 personnel are reportedly engaged in rescue work with the aid of heavy machinery, including drilling equipment and excavators. The District Emergency Operation Centre said on Sunday night that more equipment, such as a vertical drilling machine, were about to reach the site to assist the rescue efforts.
"We were worried yesterday as we couldn't communicate with those trapped. But, we finally got in touch with them," Ranveer Singh Chauhan, a member of the Prantiya Rakshak Dal told ANI.
Prashant Kumar, Circle Officer of Uttarkashi said all 40 people are safe. "We have established communication with the people trapped inside the tunnel. We have moved around 15 metres into the tunnel and around 35 metres are still to be covered. We are making our way sideways too," he told ANI.
The workers are safe and have asked for food, which is being sent to them, the Silkyara police control room said, adding that communication has been established on walkie-talkies. Food packets have been supplied with the help of compressors.
The District Emergency Operation Centre later released a list of 40 labourers trapped inside. They are from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
The proposed tunnel, which is part of the Char Dham road project, will reduce the journey from Uttarkashi to Yamunotri by 26 kilometres. The Border Roads Organisation and Indo-Tibetan Border Police teams led by Commanding Officer Naman Narula and Assistant Commandant Jadhav Vaibhav are also assisting in the rescue efforts.