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- Published: November 28, 2023 20:01
New Delhi: After 17 days of extreme struggle and hard work, the rescue team has finally freed the 41 workers stuck inside the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi province of Uttarakhand.
After the minor hiccups on Tuesday, the first was successfully evacuated out of the tunnel.
The process of rescuing the remaining workers trapped inside Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand since November 12. https://t.co/AZXmJzNH5f
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
The evacuation process to evacuate all the workers will take up to 2 to 3 hours, as per the reports.
Key moments from final stage
Check out the full video of the evacuation process
All 41 workers successfully evacuated
All 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand since November 12, have been successfully rescued. pic.twitter.com/xQq2EfAPuq
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
33 workers rescued
#UPDATE 33 among the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand since November 12 have been successfully rescued.
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
Total number of rescued worker reaches 15
Uttarkashi tunnel rescue | 15 workers among the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand since November 12 have been successfully rescued. pic.twitter.com/TLjNL2jVIa
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
Rescued worker talks to media
#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue: As workers are being rescued, Kin of Anil Bedia, worker from Ranchi, who is trapped in the Silkyara tunnel says, ” We’re feeling very good…we hope he comes out soon… ” pic.twitter.com/utjP1oHkrY
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
Four more evacuated total number reached nine
#WATCH | Uttarkashi tunnel rescue | Ambulances leave from the Silkyara tunnel site as nine workers among the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand since November 12 have been successfully rescued. pic.twitter.com/pgIpNxTY3B
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
CM Dhami meet the rescued worker
Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami meets the workers who have been rescued from inside the Silkyara tunnel pic.twitter.com/f4JsRKsqmJ
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
Four more evacuated
#UPDATE | Five workers among the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand since November 12 have been successfully rescued.
Currently, all the labourers are in the safety tunnel inside the Silkyara tunnel.
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
First evacuation successful
The process of rescuing the remaining workers trapped inside Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand since November 12. https://t.co/AZXmJzNH5f
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
Pushkar Singh Dhami informs about the final stretch of the operation
सिलक्यारा टनल में चल रहे रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन में बड़ी सफलता मिली है, पाइप पुशिंग का कार्य मलबे के आर-पार हो चुका है। अब श्रमिकों को सुरक्षित बाहर निकालने की तैयारी शुरू कर दी गई है। pic.twitter.com/wCMZrWSRSn
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) November 28, 2023
What happened
The section of the Silkyara Bend – Barkot tunnel, which was still under construction, fell in the Uttarkashi district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand on November 12, 2023, marking the 2023 Uttarakhand tunnel disaster. At about 5:30 a.m. local time, the tunnel collapsed, trapping 41 people within. The police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) oversaw the swiftly initiated rescue operations.
#WATCH | Uttarakhand | On Uttarkashi Tunnel accident, Prashant Kumar, Circle Officer of Uttarkashi says, “40 people are trapped inside the tunnel. All are safe, we have provided oxygen and water to them…”
“The present situation is, that yesterday we established communication… pic.twitter.com/KWBVtN0ks8
— ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2023
Forty-one construction workers were trapped inside the tunnel when it collapsed about 200 metres from the entrance. A group of geologists from educational institutions and the state government was dispatched to the scene to investigate the incident’s potential cause.
Auger machine failed
#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | International Tunneling Expert, Arnold Dix says, “…the auger machine failed, and we are having a lot of technical difficulties in getting the auger out from the pipe. That’s (the process of cutting it out) going much faster this… pic.twitter.com/so0ITOoo1I
— ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2023
The rescue operation began with the help of an auger machine, but after the heavy-duty machine failed 4 times during the drilling the rescue team turned towards the process of manual drilling as a last resort alonge with vertical drilling, and with the whole nation praying the method worked and the team was able to rescue all the trapped workers.
#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Location has been identified for vertical drilling to bring out 41 workers trapped inside Silkyara Tunnel.
A part of the Silkyara tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi on November 12. pic.twitter.com/EPYq0eEBNE
— ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2023
Health update
Excavation completed, now 41 workers will come out soon by the blessings of Baba BaukhNag.
Rescue pipe reached inside the tunnel. Many ambulances are ready outside. NDRF & SDRF is also ready. #UttarakhandTunnelRescue pic.twitter.com/yjADjHVQaT
— Sunanda Roy 👑 (@SaffronSunanda) November 28, 2023
The work after being under unimaginable levels of stress and trauma was taken immediately to the nearest hospitals, who were alerted before and the final updates will be made soon by the authorities.