'A second chance at life': ITBP officer cheers labourer upon rescue

The ITBP personnel were seen surrounding a small hole which may have been at best 2-3 feet wide. From the hole they were pulling out labourers who were trapped inside the tunnel.

Arms outstretched a man emerged from what was once a tunnel on Sunday in Tapovan, nearby him an Indo Tibetan Border Police official could be heard saying ‘Nayi zindagi mili hain (this is your second chance at life)’. The man was quickly laid down and covered with sheets so as to protect him from shock and hypothermia. Beside him laid his colleagues, who along with him were trapped in the deluge, caused by the glacier burst in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli on Sunday morning.

Labourer trapped in tunnel expresses relief upon being rescued by ITBP officials (ITBP)

The videos shared by ITBP showed man’s ability to endure challenges when faced with adversities presented by nature. The ITBP personnel were seen surrounding a small hole which may have been at best 2-3 feet wide. From the hole they were pulling out labourers who were trapped inside the tunnel.

The labourers who were working on a hydel power project of the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) site in the Tapovan area. While ITBP rescued 16 labourers, close to 100 labourers remain missing. 10 labourers lost their lives due to the avalanche and flood triggered by the glacial burst in the river Rishi Ganga.

The flood was strong enough to cause total destruction of the Rishi Ganga Hydro project and the BRO bridge on Joshimath highway along with the NTPC’s hydel power project. Upon his rescue, one of the colleagues of the rescued laborer was heard saying, “Apna bhai aa gaya (our brother is back).”

More than 125 people including two policemen are missing and Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that he fears that the numbers may go up. The ITBP has said that it will continue rescue operations throughout the night.