New Delhi: At least 40 workers constructing the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand have been trapped when a nearby landslide caused part of the tunnel to collapse on Sunday (November 12).The rescue operation was suspended on Friday, November 17, when a loud cracking sound was heard in the tunnel. This, per reports, happened during the positioning of a pipe.There’s a “strong possibility that a further collapse may take place and accordingly pipe pushing activity has been stopped”, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited saidhttps://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rescue-work-in-uttarakhand-tunnel-paused-after-loud-cracking-sound-4583724 in a statement.Some pipes are being used to supply the workers with food, water and medicines. In addition, rescue workers have been able to dug through 24 metres of the 60 m debris to lay a pipe, which would help the trapped men crawl out of the tunnel, BBC reported.“If the work continues at this rate, it will take another 40-48 hours to rescue the workers,” Colonel Deepak Patil, who is overseeing the rescue operations, told BBC on Friday.#WATCH | Uttarakhand: Uttarkashi tunnel rescue | Morning visuals from the spot; relief and rescue work halted at Silkyara TunnelSpeaking to ANI Anshu Manish Khulko, Director of the tunnel-making company NHIDCL, said that at present the drilling work in the tunnel has stopped.… pic.twitter.com/ZhNAsdAtRX— ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2023According to reports, rescue operation resumed on Saturday morning (November 18). However, the drilling work is currently halted as a new machine from Indore is expected to reach the site.All workers have been reported to be safe, the Times of India has reported. The newspaper also reported that workers who are engaged in rescue work are fearing to enter the tunnel after they heard the loud cracking noise on Friday.The workers have been trapped for the past six days.Among the 40 workers, officials told BBC that 15 are from Jharkhand, eight from Uttar Pradesh, five from Odisha, four from Bihar, three from Bengal, and two each from Assam and Uttarakhand, with one from Himachal Pradesh.The Silkyara tunnel is part of the Narendra Modi government’s Char Dham all-weather accessibility project.
