Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: 41 Workers Rescued
In a remarkable feat of determination and teamwork, rescuers in India successfully freed 41 workers who were trapped for 17 days in the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand. The 4.5km tunnel, a crucial part of the Char Dham project, faced challenges that tested the limits of human endurance.
The breakthrough, achieved on Tuesday evening, came after marathon efforts by a group of “rat-hole” miners who used handheld drills to navigate through the rock. The workers, brought out in wheeled stretchers through a narrow pipe, were greeted with cheers and flower garlands as they emerged.
India’s president, Droupadi Murmu, expressed relief and happiness on social media, commending the rescue effort’s resilience in overcoming various obstacles. The workers, hailing from some of India’s poorest states, were supplied with oxygen, food, and water through a narrow pipe during the rescue operation.
The Silkyara tunnel collapse, part of the flagship Char Dham project, posed challenges as teams worked to clear rubble and create a horizontal exit passage for the trapped workers. Metal rods in the debris and loose soil slowed progress, leading to the deployment of “rat-hole” miners to manually clear the passage.
Rescue workers equipped with ropes, ladders, and stretchers entered the tunnel, and 41 ambulances awaited outside to transport the men to a nearby hospital. Vertical drilling from the mountain’s top was also initiated as an alternate rescue strategy.
Describing the emotional moment of the breakthrough, one rescuer mentioned the outburst of happiness inside the tunnel as the trapped men clapped and shouted in excitement. The Uttarakhand government attributed the successful rescue to both science and faith.
The workers, mostly in their 20s, were reported to be in good health and were taken to a nearby hospital for a medical assessment. The prolonged rescue operation had the nation on edge, with millions of people praying for the well-being of the trapped workers.
On 21 November, the first images of the trapped men emerged through a medical endoscopy camera pushed through a pipeline drilled into the debris, capturing a glimpse of their ordeal in the glow of tunnel lights.
