Uttarakhand tunnel collapse accident happened on 12th November 2023 morning. After which an intensive rescue operation started at the site to rescue trapped workers. Now to meet the challenges of the rescue operation, experts from Norway and Thailand were consulted to carry out the evacuation of 40 trapped workers which needs penetration of 50 metres of debris to rescue them.
Image Source- MINT
On Friday, this was the sixth day of rescue operations and heavy drilling machines arrived at the site to dig through the debris to reach out to the trapped labourers. The officials at the site informed media persons that two steel pipes of diameter of around 800mm will be inserted through the debris to create a passage that will help the trapped workers to climb up through them to reach the safer place.
Image Source- India Today
Consultation from experts of Norway and Thailand
However, this entire process of evacuation is not simple and easy, given the mountainous nature of the location, experts from Norway and Thailand have been consulted in the issue and they suggested that approximately 50 metres of debris needs to be cleared to insert the tubes to carry out the evacuation process.
The digging through the debris cannot be done by the smaller drilling machines, due to which US made Auger drilling machines arrived at the location from Delhi to ease out the process of digging through the soil. Two to three days limits have been set by the Union Minister of state for Road Transport for the arrival of the new machines.
Chief Minister talked to media regarding the Uttarakhand tunnel collapse issue
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami had a close look over the entire incident and he informed the media that he has been told that machines have already dug three to four metres through the soil and will soon be reaching the trapped soldiers. He further assured people that all the construction projects going out in the state will be reviewed more carefully to avoid any such dreadful incident in future.
Image Source- Times of India
The state administration has worked towards providing a telephone number to keep in touch with the family members of the trapped workers. Moreover, G L Nath, spokesperson of Navayuga Engineering Company informed that all the trapped labourers are safer and have been provided with constant supply of oxygen, food items, medicinal aid and water through the use of pipes.
Due to being trapped in a closed places for such a long times, there are high chances that trapped workers might suffer from panic attacks and claustrophobia, informed Dr. Aggrawal.
Fellow labourers have started protesting and raising slogans at the entrance of the tunnel and criticise the management in failing to rescue trapped labourers who have been trapped under such conditions since days.
NDRF and SDRF teams have arrived at the location and are continuing the rescue operation from the day of the incident.
It is on the management and the rescue team to provide proper aid to the trapped workers till the time they are not evacuated. It is not good for the labourers to be trapped under debris for such a long time as it can lead to complicated health problems for them. Experts have been consulted over the issue and the people and the management are optimistic that the rescue operation will be successful and trapped labourers will be evacuated safely very soon.
