A historic moment unfolded at Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel on Tuesday evening when NDRF and SDRF rescue teams successfully reached and brought to safety the 41 trapped workers using an escape pipe. The rescue teams diligently drilled through the 60-meter stretch of rubble from the collapsed Silkyara tunnel. Each worker lay on a wheeled stretcher, pulled by rescue workers outside with ropes.
The workers were rescued after a harrowing 17-day ordeal inside the tunnel. Three NDRF teams entered the escape pipe to bring out the initial batch of five workers from the tunnel, which collapsed on November 12. The first worker emerged from the pipe around 8 pm IST.
Harpal Singh, Project Head of Zoji-la Tunnel, stated, "The exact time of the breakthrough was 7:05 pm. Uttarakhand CM, Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, and Civil Aviation Gen VK Singh were present."
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami personally greeted the workers as they emerged, even adorning them with garlands. Balinder Yadav, a worker involved in the rescue operation, mentioned, "I was inside when the pipe was being pushed. When I saw the trapped workers, I came back. Now, it's like an open road, and anyone can come and go."
Ambulances were positioned at the tunnel's mouth to swiftly transport the rescued workers. They were brought out one by one from the steel chute and then airlifted by a Chinook helicopter to a community health center. The successful rescue stands as a testament to the collaborative efforts and dedication of the rescue teams during this critical operation.
A portion of the dirt road was reconstructed to facilitate the smooth passage of ambulances. Stretchers were being transported into the tunnel entrance. In anticipation of the rescued workers, a dedicated ward with 41 beds, equipped with oxygen support, had been prepared at the community health center in Chinyalisaur, situated approximately 30 km from Silkyara.
Days prior to the rescue operation, a temporary medical camp was established within the Silkyara tunnel. After the workers are rescued, their health assessments will be conducted in this location. The Health Department has set up eight beds, and a team of doctors and specialists is stationed in the makeshift medical camp inside the tunnel, as stated by Chief Minister Dhami's office.
Simultaneously, officials instructed the families of the trapped workers to have their clothes and bags prepared. Officials outside the site communicated that one family member would accompany each worker in the ambulance during their transfer to the hospital.