The disaster site at Silkyara in Uttarakhand was in an upbeat mood on Tuesday evening as the rescue operation to pull out the 41 workers trapped inside the under-construction tunnel entered the final stage. Officials said the rescuers are just 2-3 metres away from the workers.
"We are near a breakthrough but not yet there," National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain told reporters.
He said the rat-hole miners have already drilled around 58 metres and the rescue pipe has to be pushed towards the trapped workers by another two meters.
“Manual work has carried on and we have reached 58 metres. The debris had been cut and the work was going on the entire night. Our rat miners, experts and Army engineers have been able to take it to 58 metres and the pipe has been pushed with the help of the auger machine," said Hasnain.
The officer said it would take about 3-5 minutes to pull out each worker on a wheeled stretcher through the pipe. “Once the breakthrough is achieved, it would take 3-4 hours to bring out all the trapped workers.”
"We are not in a hurry," the NDMA member further said.
Meanwhile, a temporary medical facility has been expanded inside the tunnel as part of rescue efforts. A team of doctors and experts has been deployed at the facility.
After the rescue, workers will be kept under medical observation for 48-72 hours.
The 41 workers have been trapped inside the tunnel for the last 17 days following a landslide at the site on November 12. The tunnel was being between Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi district.
