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Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: All 40 trapped labourers safe; food, water being given
The workers are safe and have asked for food, which is being sent to them, the Silkyara police control room said
The 40 labourers trapped inside an under-construction tunnel on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway are safe and being provided with food packets, a senior official said on Monday.
A portion of the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Dandalgaon on the Yamunotri National Highway (NH) collapsed on Sunday, leaving workers trapped inside. Most of these workers are from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal, district administration officials said.
Devendra Patwal, Uttarkashi District Disaster Management Officer (DDMO), said, “The work to remove debris in the tunnel is underway. Excavator machines have been arranged to remove the debris. All workers are safe. We have been able to succeed in speaking to the trapped labourers through walkie talkie and oxygen supply is being ensured to the trapped workers through the pipeline laid for water supply. The trapped labourers had said they were hungry and asked for food. Food (‘chana’) packets have been supplied to them through the same pipeline through the compressor.”
He said the incident took place at a distance of 200 metres from the mouth of the tunnel. The trapped workers are 60 metres away from where the muck is piled up.
Also Read: ‘Oxygen being supplied through debris’: Rescue ops on to save 40 workers trapped in Uttarkashi
Patwal said the debris has been removed from the 15 metre portion of the tunnel.
According to agencies involved in the rescue operation, they were trying to create an escape passage to evacuate the trapped labourers in the tunnel.
Around 160 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the police and revenue departments were involved in the rescue operation and making efforts to remove the debris with earth moving, drilling machines, poclain machine JCBs and the evacuation process is underway, said Patwal.
The total length of the tunnel, being constructed by Navayuga Engineering Company Limited under the supervision of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), is 4,533 metres. The collapsed portion is 35 metres.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday said he was monitoring the situation and was in constant touch with Uttarkashi district officials.
“I have received news of the collapse of part of the tunnel under construction between Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi. A rescue operation is under way to evacuate all trapped workers safely. I have spoken to the district magistrate and instructed him to speed up the rescue operation,” he said.
Among other necessary efforts, Chinyalisaur helipad has been activated, health personnel and four ambulances have been stationed at the entrance to the tunnel, officials said.
Circle officer Prashant Kumar said, “Even though oxygen was available to the trapped labourers, they have also inserted additional oxygen through a pipe through the debris. We were able to establish communication with the trapped labourers once, they were safe then.”
According to NHIDCL officials, 2,340-metre tunnel has been constructed from the Silkayara-end and 1,600 metres constructed from the Barkot-end.
With the construction of this all-weather tunnel under the Char Dham Road Project, the journey from Uttarkashi to Yamunotri Dham will be reduced by 26 kilometres, officials said.
