Rescue efforts have reached the final stages at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, where 41 workers have been trapped since November 12. The tunnel, under construction from Silkyara to Barkot, was blocked by debris in a 60-meter stretch on the Silkyara side.
A senior officer stated that the rescue team aims to reach the trapped workers by Thursday morning.
"We have inserted pipes 44 meters via horizontal drilling. However, we have found some steel rods in the debris. The machine couldn't cut those rods. Therefore, NDRF personnel will cut those rods following which we will use the machine again," said rescue officer Harpal Singh, who is also the Project Head of the under-construction Zoji-la Tunnel project in Kashmir.
"I have full confidence that steel pieces can be cut within an hour and in the next 5 hours two pipes can be pushed in and the rescue operation could start," he said late Wednesday night.
He hoped rescuers would be able to reach the trapped workers by 8:30 am.
NDRF personnel entered the tunnel on Wednesday, with an ambulance deployed inside and a team of doctors on standby for health check-ups. The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami, is personally overseeing the operation in Uttarkashi.
The ongoing rescue operation, spanning 12 days, is now in its final stages. A 41-bed hospital has been prepared at the Community Health Centre in Chinyalisaur for the medical examination and care of the evacuated workers from the Silkyara tunnel.
In support of the rescue, oxygen cylinders have been provided by NDRF personnel at Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel. The area of entrapment, measuring 8.5 meters in height and 2 kilometers in length, constitutes the built-up portion of the tunnel, ensuring the safety of the laborers with available electricity and water supply.
