Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: After 70+ hours, 40 laborers still trapped
The rescue mission to save 40 workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi was hampered on Tuesday night as a landslide injured two rescue workers and obstructed drilling efforts. While the injured rescue personnel were sent to a makeshift hospital on the site, other tunnel workers reportedly protested, demanding the operation be expedited for the quick evacuation of their colleagues. Separately, the landslide forced the platform installed to drill through the rubble, trapping the workers, to be dismantled.
Why does this story matter?
The 4.5km tunnel on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway is one of the longest under the Char Dham highway project. It is designed to connect Silkyara and Dandalgaon, reducing the distance between Uttarkashi and Yamunotri Dham by 26km. On Sunday morning, a portion of it collapsed, around 270m from the entrance on the Silkyara side. Rubble spanning 40m reportedly blocked the tunnel, of which 21m of debris has been removed by Tuesday, while workers have a 400m buffer to move around.
Workers protest against delay in rescue operation
New drill machine to be installed
Rescue personnel spent hours setting up a platform for the auger drilling machine, which had to be dismantled later due to the landslide. Rescue teams were working to level the platform to install a new drilling machine that would push eight 900mm diameter pipes and five 800mm diameter pipes through the debris blocking the tunnel. The pipes are expected to be wide enough for the workers to pass through. Meanwhile, concrete work is also being done to reinforce the platform.
Delay in operation leaves kin of trapped workers worried
Officials said the trapped workers are safe and are being supplied with oxygen, water, food packets, and medicine through tubes. The family members of Gabbar Singh Negi, one of the trapped workers, talked to him through a walkie-talkie and confirmed he was alright. However, they were skeptical of the rescue efforts. "Some people are saying they will be out in a few hours, others say it might take days," The Indian Express quoted his brother saying.
Same construction company booked for culpable homicide earlier
Officials from Navayuga Engineering Company, contracted to build the tunnel, urged local politicians and other visitors not to enter the tunnel and interfere with rescue operations. The same company received the contract for constructing a bridge on Maharashtra's Samruddhi Expressway. In August 2023, 20 people, including two site engineers and 12 workers, were crushed to death as a girder launching machine collapsed on them in Thane. Following this, Navayuga was booked for culpable homicide under Indian Penal Code Section 304.
