The rescue operation to bring out the 41 trapped labourers from the collapsed road tunnel in Uttarakhand is focusing on the horizontal drilling that will create a shaft, an official said on Tuesday.
Simultaneous efforts are being made on five fronts to save these trapped workers, said Lt General (Retd) Syed Atta Hasnain, National Disaster Management Authority member, while briefing reporters on the rescue mission.
"This is not an easy challenge, so we are exploring every option. All the teams are working on it, that is the only assurance I can give. I can't establish any time frame," he said.
Hasnain informed that the focus is on horizontal drilling as rock formation has created challenges for vertical drilling.
The workers have been trapped for 10 days after a portion of the under-construction tunnel being built between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway in Uttarkashi caved in on November 12.
The 30-metre collapsed section is 270 metres from the mouth of the tunnel from the Silkyara side.
Hasnain said the delay in rescue work will not pose any danger to the trapped workers as there is sufficient water and oxygen inside.
"There's ample space inside. Lighting is available inside. A 4- inch pipe was available which didn't get destroyed so we had a lifeline," he told reporters.
The official further informed that the NDRF teams are doing rehearsal at the site to deal with any contingency that may arise during the course of rescue operations.
"At present, different agencies, NDRF, ITBP, Army engineers, SDRF, fire and emergency services, Border Roads Organisation and other technical agencies of the Central government are working there," he said.
Meanwhile, the first visuals of the 41 workers trapped inside the tunnel emerged on Tuesday. The visuals were captured using an endoscopic camera sent in through a six-inch pipeline, which was pushed through the rubble.
