Auger machine breakdown extends timeline for trapped worker rescue in Uttarkashi tunnel

The ongoing rescue operation to save 41 trapped workers inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, has encountered a significant hurdle. The American-made Auger machine, employed for digging through the debris, has experienced technical issues, leading to a temporary halt in the rescue efforts. According to reports from ABP News, the operation is now expected to take an additional three days to complete.

The high-duty auger machine, deployed on November 16, has faced repeated challenges as it drilled through the debris in the collapsed tunnel. The machine, designed to place pipes for the rescue operation, encounters stoppages when it encounters metal obstructions, necessitating its removal from the tunnel. The breakdown has led rescue teams to explore alternative methods, including manual drilling and vertical drilling.

Despite the initial optimism as the operation entered its final phase earlier this week, technical glitches with the auger machine have posed unexpected obstacles. While post-rescue plans are in place, including the swift transportation of workers to waiting ambulances, forty-one ambulances are on standby at the tunnel's entrance. They can immediately transport the workers to the Chinyalisaur Community Health Centre. A designated ward with 41 oxygen-equipped beds has been set up for each worker.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that a plasma cutter machine has been ordered from Hyderabad to cut and retrieve the auger machine from the tunnel.  "The machine got stuck after reaching so close. We are expecting that this machine will come out by Sunday morning and the operation will move forward manually after that. We are working on all options," the Chief Minister added.