Uttarkashi Rescue Operation: 41 laborers are trapped in the tunnel for 10 days. An under-construction tunnel collapsed in Silkiara, Uttarakhand in the early morning of 12 November. Finally on Monday the workers got to eat hot food. Today, rescue workers managed to insert a 6-inch wide pipe into the debris. Then through that pipe hot food is being sent in bottles to the workers. Also, the first picture of the workers trapped inside the tunnel was revealed. All the workers are seen safe in the picture.
Drone survey failed
Drone survey was attempted twice at the tunnel site to study the gap between the debris and the tunnel. But due to obstruction it could not go beyond 28 meters above the debris and one drone was damaged. A robot deployed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) could not climb the slope of the tunnel due to debris. Also, the work of pushing the pipe was done simultaneously using the drilling machine.
food reached the workers
Earlier on Monday, in a major breakthrough in the rescue operation, a six-inch alternative pipe managed to reach 41 workers trapped in the tunnel. The authorities also sent nutritious food in plastic bottles to the stranded labourers. He consulted medical experts to design a special diet plan to meet his nutritional needs. Khichdi and fruits including oranges, bananas, apples and ‘daliya’ (broken wheat) were piped in to support the workers during these difficult times. Khichdi was put in plastic bottles and sent down the pipe.
A global team of tunneling experts arrived at the site on Monday. Arnold Dix, president of the International Tunneling and Underground Space Association, was among the experts at the tunnel site to oversee the operation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on phone to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami about the ongoing relief and rescue operations to save the workers.
