Uttarakhand Tunnel Crash News Live Updates: It may take long time to rescue 41 workers trapped in Silkyara tunnel, says NDMA

Silkyara tunnel collapse latest news: RELIEF for trapped men as BSNL to provide landline connection

It may take long time to rescue 41 workers trapped in Silkyara tunnel: NDMA

PM Modi taking daily updates on operation to rescue workers trapped in tunnel: Uttarakhand CM

Operation to rescue 41 workers trapped in Silkyara tunnel may take long time

CPI Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the collapse of the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel and 41 workers being trapped inside. The CPI MP urged the Prime Minister to ensure developmental activities are undertaken keeping in mind the Himalayan ecosystem without harming nature and to ensure social security to workers from marginalised backgrounds who are at the forefront of these developmental activities.

Union Minister General VK Singh (Retd) reaches the Silkyara tunnel site where the rescue operation is underway to bring out the trapped workers.

Silkyara tunnel rescue: ‘Manual efforts needed for final stretch after Auger machine breakdown’

Kundan, an employee of BSNL says, "On the instructions of the government, a landline facility is being made available here. Efforts are underway to lay wires for that purpose. The landline (phone) will be sent to the workers trapped inside so that they can speak with their family members..."

Member of the NDMA, Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.) says, "The current update is that in the last 24 hours, there hasn't been any movement within this tunnel..the auger machine itself has had a bit of an accident. It has actually broken, a portion of it has broken and that broken portion has to be pulled out. So the tunnel itself is blocked at the moment, the access tunnel is blocked at the moment and work is going on to cut that portion, the broken portion and bring it out. For that special machines have been flown in, special cutters have been flown in from different parts of the country by the Indian Air Force and work on that aspect is about to begin sometime today, hopefully. So as a result, there is no access being made through this particular route at the moment. But the good news is that the 41 workers are all safe. They are speaking to their relatives, the logistics are in place, the six-inch and four-inch pipes are all intact, the power line is intact, water is going inside...Vertical drilling will perhaps start in about 48 hours. I cannot lay a timeline fully yet, but hopefully, it should start in that time frame, provided all the machinery is in place. Machinery is already there. It is being placed on the spot..."

NDMA says 86 meters of vertical drilling needed to reach Silkyara tunnel's crust.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami took stock of the Tunnel Rescue Operation in Silkyara, Uttarkashi. He also took information from the officials regarding the ongoing relief and rescue operations in the tunnel. He obtained information regarding the condition of the auger machine. While directing the officials, the chief minister said that the auger machine stuck in the pipe should be removed as soon as possible. The machine or technology used to remove the auger should be ordered as soon as possible: Uttarakhand CMO

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue: A part of the vertical drilling machine is being taken to the top of the Silkyara Tunnel as an operation to rescue 41 trapped workers continues.

Silkyara tunnel collapse rescue | Manual drilling to commence by tomorrow morning, says CM Dhami

Silkyara tunnel rescue operation | Vishal Chauhan, Member, NHAI says, "As we have reached 47 meters. We now have to go 12-15 meters more. It could be 10, 12 or 14 meters, that we have to go manually now...The environment impact assessment of this project has also been done. There are several things that cannot be predicted but our first priority is to rescue the workers..."

On Silkyara tunnel rescue operation, International Tunneling Expert, Arnold Dix says, "It means some time from now until one month and 41 men will be home safe. I just don't know exactly when. I mean that we should not rush. We should just consider the most important thing and that is that the men come home safe...I'm confident that they'll be home in time for Christmas...In the beginning, I never promised it would be quick, I never promised it would be easy, I never said it would be tomorrow, I never said it would be tonight...They'll be safe."

The agencies transported a magna cutting by air from Rajmundhry for cutting the damaged and stuck auger.

NDMA member Lt Gen Ata Hasnain said that the top down drilling may start in 1-2 days. He said no specific time can be given.

Rescue operations at Silkyara tunnel will take time; focus is now on vertical drilling: NDMA

NDMA says 47-meter drilling done so far, efforts on to retrieve broken part of auger machine.

Setback in Uttarkashi Rescue: Blades of Auger Machine Damaged Again | Uttarakhand Latest Updates

Silkyara tunnel rescue operation | On being asked when will the rescue operation complete, Member of the NDMA, Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.) says, "I feel everyone has their attention on this as to when this operation will be over, but you need to see that this operation is getting even more complex. We have never given you the timeline. I have experienced that when you do something with mountains, you cannot predict anything. This is exactly a situation like war..."

Kin of Bihar labourers trapped inside Uttarkashi tunnel hope for early rescue

Auger machine blades stuck inside tunnel debris, manual drilling to begin tomorrow.

Auger machine blades stuck inside tunnel debris, plasma cutter needed

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami says, "We are working on all the options possible to reach them (workers) & take them out..."

Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue Latest: “No obstacle in the next 5 meters on our path,” says NDMA member

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami says, "Everyone knows that this rescue operation is being done under difficult & challenging circumstances. The machine got stuck after reaching so close...We are expecting that by tomorrow morning this machine will come out & after that, the operation will move forward manually...We are working on all the options. The plasma cutter machine has been ordered from Hyderabad to cut the auger machine..."

On the Uttarkashi tunnel incident, Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj says, "Three days ago, I expressed a doubt that were standard operating procedures followed in this (Uttarkashi Tunnel). Now that I am seeing the news in newspapers, that fear has turned out to be true. To bypass environmental clearance, the project of building hundreds of metres of roads was divided into 53 small parts. Then it was passed so that there is no requirement for environmental clearance... This work is done by the central and Uttarakhand governments..."

Uttarakhand CM PS Dhami arrives in Uttarkashi, to take stock of the rescue operation under way at the Silkyara tunnel

International Tunneling Expert Arnold Dix on rescue operation

With a 10-bed hospital, 40 ambulances, 20 doctors, and 35-40 support staff stationed outside the tunnel and a 41-bed hospital set up at Chinyalisaur, about 50km from thetunnel site, the rescue teams are ensuring there is no room for error in the operation.

Experts whom TOI spoke to, said that the GroundPenetration Radar (GPR) test is not always conclusive since it may not detect the presence of smaller objects in the path.

Uttarakhand Tunnel had NO Emergency EXIT, was Built Through Geological Fault: Probe Panel Member

Neeraj Khairwal, senior IAS officer, who is nodal officer appointed by the state government for the rescue operation, had said that “the report of the GPR showed thatthere is no metallic obstruction in the next 5.4-meters in the debris.”

Auger machine will now be used in pushing the pipes

Rescue teams are preparing to set up a vertical drill machine and its parts on the top of the tunnel.

After several failed attempts, now rescue teams plan to use vertical drilling option to evacuate trapped workers

Decision to deploy manual cutters for the remaining portion of the collapsed tunnel soon. It will take around 18-24 hours for teams of manual cutters to clear the remaining 10% of the collapsed portion.

'Workers to go inside passage, remove rubble'

Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse Breaking: Drilling Halted Once Again, Rescue Team Faces Technical Glitch

Uttarkashi tunnel rescue Operation: As soon as after the auger drilling machine is brought out of the tunnel pipeline, manual drilling work could be started in the last 6-9 meters, says a senior official who is part of the rescue operation. Refusing to give the time frame of the rescue operation, the official said that the new drilling process today might bring good results.

Villagers of the area are praying for the success of the operation by invoking local deities. One of the ways they are doing so is by singing Garhwali folk ‘jagars’

National Disaster Response Force and SDRF are preparing for a high-stakes rescue mission to evacuate 41 workers.

The workers continue to temain trapped inside partially collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand for the 14th day as the US made auger machine, which isdrilling through the debris to create an escape passage, stopped again on Friday evening after hitting another obstacle.

"No heavy objects present up to 5 metres": Experts said on Uttarkashi rescue operation

Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse Rescue Ops Video: Here is How NDRF Team Working at the Collapse Site

Who is Responsible for Uttarkashi Tunnel Accident?: What Role do NHAI & Uttarakhand Government Have

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Geophysicist, GPR survey team B Chendhoor says, "We were called because something got stuck in the auger machine. GPR helps us know how far the metallic object is...GPR basically scans, therefore two people are needed one to run the GPR & the other to acquire the data..."