Even as rescue ops entered Day 17, the team of “rat-hole miners” which began manual drilling operations yesterday to reach the 41 workers trapped within the debris of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi is meters away from them.
A team of 24 seasoned “rat-hole mining” experts are involved in the manual drilling process and excavate a narrow passageway toward the trapped workers. This time-consuming task will involve removing debris and creating a safe route for the rescue operation. The workers are just 5 metres away from the rescue team.
Manual drilling operations began at the tunnel yesterday. Initial drilling efforts were conducted using a large auger machine that got stuck in the rubble on Friday, prompting authorities to look for alternative methods – vertical drilling from above the tunnel. Approximately 40% of the required 86-metre vertical drilling has been completed.