Uttarkashi tunnel rescue nears completion | Watch Video

• Rat-hole mining specialists achieve success in manual horizontal drilling for Silkyara tunnel rescue
• The team, comprising 12 experts, addresses the final 10- to 12-meter stretch of debris in the collapsed tunnel
• Progress in vertical drilling reaches 36 meters, with an aim to complete the evacuation by Thursday

Rat-hole mining specialists involved in the ongoing rescue mission to extricate 41 workers from the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi have achieved a significant breakthrough. The team initiated manual drilling through the debris, successfully accomplishing the horizontal drilling phase. With this development, the rescue operation is on track, and the trapped workers are expected to be evacuated shortly.

A team of 12 rat-hole mining experts utilized manual horizontal drilling to tackle the final 10- to 12-meter stretch of debris in the collapsed section of the under-construction tunnel on the Char Dham route. The decision to employ manual drilling arose after a large auger machine encountered difficulties on Friday.

While approximately 40 per cent of the required 86-meter vertical drilling has been completed, Monday's progress saw the successful removal of the remaining portion of the stuck auger. A steel pipe was inserted into the partially completed escape passage, with vertical drilling reaching a depth of 36 meters.

The rescue team aims to extract the workers through the one-meter-wide shaft once it penetrates the top of the tunnel below, potentially concluding the operation by Thursday. Simultaneously, an eight-inch-wide shaft, drilled from a nearby point, has reached around 75 meters down, serving as a supply line for the trapped workers.
 

सुरंग में जब सब मशीनों ने दम तोड़ दिया लेकिन हमारे जवानों के चट्टान जैसे हौसले को नही तोड़ सकती।

देखिए कैसे हमारे जवान पाइप के रास्ते अंदर घुसे और अब मैन्युअल डेबरी को हटाया जा रहा है।#UttarakhandTunnelCollapse #TunnelCollapsed #UttarakhandTunnelRescue #UttarakhandTunnel pic.twitter.com/OerPrV4vyd

— Sagar Kumar “Sudarshan News” (@KumaarSaagar) November 28, 2023