Rescuers on Tuesday recovered another body from the inundated, under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli, taking the death toll to nine, as the search for the lone missing worker continued. Debris and slush were being removed from the site.
A suspected aquifer burst pushed a rush of water and debris through the under-construction tunnel on August 13, trapping 22 workers. Twelve workers were rescued.
Chamoli district magistrate Gaurav Kumar said rescuers are conducting continuous and intensive searches within the tunnel. “To accelerate rescue efforts, they are removing the accumulated sludge inside the tunnel while also dewatering it.”
Kumar said suction pumps and other necessary equipment are being used in the process to facilitate the movement of rescue teams and enable them to reach potential locations to search for the missing worker. “A thorough search is being conducted at all possible locations inside the tunnel for the search of the missing worker. It is our top priority.”
Preliminary assessments suggested that the tunnel was inundated as a rain-saturated aquifer ruptured through the roof of the three-km-long tunnel, about 1.44 km from the entrance. Rainwater from the surrounding slopes percolated into a water-bearing layer above the tunnel before breaking through a weak section of rock under pressure.
The force of the water was strong enough to push a column of air ahead of it, throwing some workers towards the tunnel mouth. Others were trapped by debris deeper inside the passage. Rescued workers said that they first heard and felt a powerful gust of air, followed by muck, boulders and rising water.
{{/usCountry}}The force of the water was strong enough to push a column of air ahead of it, throwing some workers towards the tunnel mouth. Others were trapped by debris deeper inside the passage. Rescued workers said that they first heard and felt a powerful gust of air, followed by muck, boulders and rising water.
{{/usCountry}}On Monday, Garhwal commissioner Anand Swaroop chaired a review meeting in Gopeshwar to assess the progress of the rescue operation and asked officials to expedite the search and rescue operation.