Workers in collapsed Uttarkashi tunnel captured on camera

The first visuals of the workers trapped inside the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi have emerged on Tuesday morning. 

Rescuers on Monday successfully pushed a six-inch-wide pipeline through the rubble, allowing the supply of food and providing live visuals of the 41 workers trapped inside for eight days.

An endoscopic camera sent through the alternative 6-inch food pipeline captured the visuals, enabling rescuers to count the trapped workers and assess the internal geography of the tunnel.

The visuals were captured using an endoscopic camera sent in through the alternative 6-inch food pipeline. The camera is being used to count the trapped workers and understand the internal geography of the tunnel. In the video, workers wearing yellow and white helmets can be seen receiving food items through the pipeline and communicating with each other.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami shared the update on X and wrote "For the first time, visuals surfaced of workers trapped in the tunnel under construction in Silkyara, Uttarkashi. All the workers are completely safe, we are trying with all our might to get them out safely soon," 

Rescue authorities plan to initiate vertical drilling on Tuesday afternoon to reach the trapped workers, with the operation expected to commence at 2 pm from the Silkyara end.

सिलक्यारा, उत्तरकाशी में निर्माणाधीन सुरंग के अंदर फँसे श्रमिकों से पहली बार एंडोस्कोपिक फ्लेक्सी कैमरे के माध्यम से बातचीत कर उनका कुशलक्षेम पूछा गया। सभी श्रमिक बंधु पूरी तरह सुरक्षित हैं। pic.twitter.com/vcr28EHx8g

— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) November 21, 2023