Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse: 12-14 hours more required to reach workers

Former advisor to the prime minister's office Bhaskar Khulbe says that removing the iron mesh that obstructed the drilling has delayed the rescue operation by 12-14 hours, so it will take some more time to reach the workers.Khulbe said removing the mesh in a claustrophobic environment inside the pipe was difficult."It took us six hours to remove it. But the good news is that we have cleared the hurdle which came yesterday after drilling up to 45 metres had been done," Khulbe told reporters.

Meanwhile, all arrangements have been made to provide immediate medical care to the 41 trapped workers after they are evacuated, officials said.A 41-bed separate ward has been readied at the Community Health Centre in Chinyalisaur for Silkyara tunnel evacuees and 41 ambulances wait outside the tunnel to rush them there as soon as they crawl out, officials said.

Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela said on Thursday morning that rescuers have drilled and considerably breached through the debris of the collapsed portion of the Sikyara tunnel to reach closer to the trapped workers. Speaking to ANI today, Uttarkashi District Magistrate said that only a little more work is left for the completion of the rescue operation, which has been ongoing for the past 12 days. Rescuers, using an US auger machine, resumed drilling on Tuesday and by late night on Wednesday, drilled through 45 metres out of the 60-metre stretch of debris that blocked the Sikyara side of the underconstruction tunnel stretching from Silkyara to Barkot.