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Uttarakhand Tunnel Crash News Live Updates: Drilling remains suspended at Silkyara tunnel for yet another day

THE TIMES OF INDIA | Nov 19, 2023, 20:44:49 IST

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Uttarakhand Tunnel Crash News Live Updates: Drilling remains suspended at Silkyara tunnel for yet another day

Drilling to prepare an escape passage for 41 workers - trapped at Silkyara tunnel collapse site for a week now - remained suspended on Sunday, while Union Minister Nitin Gadkari who reviewed the rescue operation said another large diameter pipeline was being pushed through the rubble to provide essential supplies to them. "Whatever is required to save the 41 trapped workers will be done and keeping the morale of workers and their family members high should be everyone's collective responsibility", he said. Stay with TOI for all updates:

12:23 (IST) Nov 17

A team from NGRI will conduct a survey using ground penetrative radar to find an obstacle-free path for drilling.

11:13 (IST) Nov 17

Uttarakhand tunnel crash: After 'dark Diwali', trapped workers' families unsure about Chhath puja too

Families of 13 workers from Jharkhand and four from Bihar, among the 40 labourers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel, are spending sleepless nights since news about the collapse reached them on Sunday morning.

"We had no Diwali celebrations this year and it seems we are going to miss Chhath Puja as well," said Ravi Munda, 23, whose cousin and two friends are trapped inside. "Not only our families but the entire village is disturbed since the incident," Munda added.

11:13 (IST) Nov 17

Union junior minister for road transport and highways V K Singh, who reached the spot to take stock of the operation on Thursday, said, "The maximum time duration to complete this operation is 2-3 days. However, it might be completed before that as well."

11:13 (IST) Nov 17

Rescue teams are hoping to evacuate the trapped workers through these pipes. National Disaster Response Force personnel, who are there at the site, also carried out a mock drill of a "possible evacuation through the 900mm wide steel pipes".

11:11 (IST) Nov 17

Drilling upto a depth of 25 metre was done upon which the machine hit a metal part inside. Efforts being made to cut through it using a gas cutter. So, drilling work is currently halted.

10:10 (IST) Nov 17

Exclusive Video: Drilling process inside Uttarakhand's Silkyara tunnel

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08:46 (IST) Nov 17

It is not correct to say that the entire operation will take over 24 hours as it totally depends on the spread of the debris and obstacles in terms of iron garters and machines which got buried under the rubble at the time of the roof collapse.

Anshu Manish Khalkho, director (admin & finance) of NHIDCL

08:45 (IST) Nov 17

'Tricky and complicated mission'

"The mission is tricky and complicated. We are trying our best. We started with a regular auger machine but later replaced it with an advanced one, which is operational now. It took us six hours to insert the first pipe. However, we are expecting much less time in pushing through the others," said Anshu Manish Khalkho, director (admin & finance) of NHIDCL, the central government PSU which is executing the project.

07:59 (IST) Nov 17

Uttarakhand tunnel crash: Heavy drilling machine put to work as 40 stuck for 100+ hours

Over 100 hours after 40 workers were trapped inside the under-construction Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi following its roof collapse, the new "high-performance" American auger drilling machine, which was airlifted by IAF aircraft a day ago, started drilling on Thursday through the pile-up of debris accumulated inside the tunnel.

07:59 (IST) Nov 17

Till now, with help of American Auger Machine, teams have succeeded to push 900mm diameter steel pipe upto 21 meter deep inside the debris.

07:58 (IST) Nov 17

Drilling process under way inside Silkyara tunnel

07:56 (IST) Nov 17

The machine has penetrated af ew metres into the debris. Penetration speed can vary depending on the condition of debris since there are iron garters and machines buried underneath.

Col Deepak Patil, incharge of the rescue operation

07:56 (IST) Nov 17

In a fresh attempt to create a 'safe passage' for the trapped workers, rescue officials said the horizontal drilling machine began boring through the rubble post- Thursday afternoon and was able to push a 21 metre-long steel pipe of 900mm diameter into the debris.

07:55 (IST) Nov 17

The new 'high-performance' American auger drilling machine, which was airlifted by IAF aircraft a day ago, started drilling on Thursday through the pile-up of debris accumulated inside the tunnel.

07:54 (IST) Nov 17

The rescue operation to safely evacuate 40 labourers trapped inside the the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand continued even after over 100 hours on Friday after the portions of the tunnel collapsed on Sunday morning following a landslide.

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