The Indian Air Force deployed a C-17 transport aircraft to airlift nearly 22 tonnes of crucial equipment from Indore city to Dehradun, aiding the massive rescue operation at Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel site where 40 laborers are trapped.
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Uttarkashi: Amid the ongoing massive rescue operation at Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel site, the Indian Air Force has joined the rescue mission to save the lives of 40 labourers trapped inside the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel. The IAF deployed a C-17 transport aircraft to airlift nearly 22 tonnes of crucial equipment from Indore city to Dehradun. These pieces of equipment will be used in the rescue mission. Working day and night, the rescue teams have managed to clear up to 24 meters of debris in the tunnel, inching closer to the trapped labourers after five horrifying days. Now, it may require an additional 60 meters to enable the escape of the workers.
Notably, the rescue operation entered the seventh day on Saturday.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has played a crucial role in the ongoing rescue operations. The C-17 aircraft has been pivotal in airlifting essential equipment, including a powerful machine, from Indore to Dehradun. This assistance has been invaluable to the rescue teams on the ground.
Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapsed: The Rescue Operation
The rescue operations were halted on Friday evening after the drilling machine developed a snag. A new machine from Indore is on its way and is expected to reach the site today.
Meanwhile, the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) said the fifth pipe, which will be used to prepare an escape passage for the workers, is being positioned.
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Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapsed: All Trapped Labourers Fine
All the labourers trapped thus far are in good physical and mental condition. Authorities have ensured the delivery of essential supplies such as oxygen, medicines, food, and water to the trapped labourers through air-compressed pipes.
“The morale of the people needs to be maintained… The food and water supply and the psychological state of the stuck workers are well… They are being talked to by psychological experts… All of them are fit physically and mentally,” News18 quoted NHIDCL Director Anshu Manish Khalkho as saying.
Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapsed: Backup Drilling Machine To Reach Rescue Site Today
Equipment similar to the 25-tonne American-made auger machine currently in operation is being flown in from Indore as a “backup” to ensure the uninterrupted rescue operation.
Rescue workers have had to drill up to 60 meters to insert 800- and 900-millimeter diameter pipes, one after the other, using a giant drill. This process continues until an escape passage is created for the laborers trapped behind the collapsed portion of the under-construction tunnel.
The construction workers have been trapped since Sunday when a landslide caused a portion of the 4.5-kilometer (2.7-mile) tunnel they were building to collapse about 200 meters (500 feet) from the entrance. The hilly area is prone to landslide and subsidence.
Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapsed: How It Happened
The construction workers have been trapped since Sunday when a landslide caused a portion of the 4.5-kilometer (2.7-mile) tunnel they were building to collapse, approximately 200 meters (500 feet) from the entrance. The hilly area is prone to landslides and subsidence.
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The tunnel is part of the busy Chardham all-weather road, a flagship federal project connecting various Hindu pilgrimage sites.
