Day 12 of Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse: Rescue Ops Put on Hold Again
The ongoing rescue operations to evacuate 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district faced another setback on the twelfth day. The drilling process had to be halted due to cracks appearing in the platform supporting the drilling machine.
Here’s a timeline of the disaster and the subsequent rescue efforts:
November 12: Portions of the Silkyara-Dandalgaon under-construction tunnel collapse due to a landslide, trapping 41 workers.
November 13: Rescue efforts begin, and contact is established with the trapped workers through an oxygen supply pipe.
November 14: Steel pipes are brought to the tunnel site for horizontal digging, but the operation faces complications as more rubble falls.
November 15: NHIDCL requests a state-of-the-art auger machine to speed up the drilling process.
November 16: Drilling starts, but halts when the fifth pipe hits an obstacle; a high-performance auger machine is flown in.
November 17: Drilling resumes, but stops again when a big cracking sound is heard, raising concerns about further collapse.
November 18: Drilling remains suspended due to the risk of vibrations causing more debris to collapse.
November 19: Alternative evacuation plans are explored, and Union minister Nitin Gadkari anticipates a breakthrough within two and a half days.
November 20: PM Narendra Modi speaks to Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami, emphasizing the need to keep morale up; rescuers achieve a breakthrough by pushing a pipeline through the rubble.
November 21: The first video of trapped workers is released, and drilling for an alternative tunnel begins, which could take up to 40 days.
November 22: Drilling of the Silkyara tunnel resumes but faces a hurdle when iron rods obstruct the auger machine.
November 23: The obstruction is removed, and drilling resumes, but cracks in the platform supporting the machine lead to another halt in operations.
The rescue team faces ongoing challenges as they strive to reach the trapped workers and ensure their safe evacuation.
