Major 'breakthrough' achieved in Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation

In a major breakthrough, agencies working round the clock to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside a partially collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, have installed a six-inch pipe into the debris. This pipe will help the authorities to provide solid food items to the trapped workers and ensure better communication. Anshu Mansish Khalkho, director, NHIDCL, told the media that rescue workers were able to communicate with the workers through the newly installed pipe. "We have achieved our first breakthrough, for which we had been trying for the last nine days and was our first priority. A 6-inch pipe has been installed and they (trapped workers) can hear us through it. We will now provide them with food and medical supplies through that pipe," he said.

VIDEO | Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: "We have achieved our first breakthrough, for which we had been trying for the last nine days and was our first priority. A 6-inch pipe has been installed and they (trapped workers) can hear us through it. We will now provide them with food and… pic.twitter.com/gfww1hlLE8

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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has pressed two robots into the operation. "DRDO has sent 2 robots weighing 20 kg and 50 kg respectively. The robots move on the ground. The loose ground there has raised apprehensions whether the robots will be able to move there or not. Other machinery will be there within a day or two," he added. Earlier in the day,  Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Modi said that the Centre is providing the necessary rescue equipment and resources and that the workers will be evacuated safely through mutual coordination between the Centre and the Uttarakhand government. He said the workers’ morale needs to be maintained, the CMO said. Assuring the families of the trapped workers that they will be rescued soon, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said officials have been asked to stay in touch with the relatives of the trapped workers so that they do not face any inconvenience. The Uttarakhand government will bear the travel, food and lodging expenses of relatives of the 41 workers trapped at the Silkyara tunnel in the Uttarkashi district for over a week.International tunnelling and underground space association president Arnold Dix conducted a survey at the collapse site on Monday to aid in the rescue efforts. Dix specialises in underground and transportation infrastructure - from construction risk to more technical issues associated with the actual safety performance from an operational safety perspective, reported ANI.