With rescue agencies tirelessly working to extract 41 construction workers trapped for over 170 hours under debris following a partial collapse of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, on November 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and took information about the ongoing relief and rescue operations to save the workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi.
PM Modi said that necessary rescue equipment and resources are being provided by the Central government.
”The workers will be evacuated safely with mutual coordination between central and state agencies. There is a need to maintain the morale of the stranded workers,” Uttarakhand CMO said.
Meanwhile, prayers are also being offered at a temple that has been built at the main entrance of the tunnel where rescue operations to save the stranded victims are underway.
Amidst challenges posed by a snagged auger machine, a US-made drill, officials are now considering a groundbreaking vertical drilling strategy.
A high-performance drilling machine from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore has been mobilized, initiating the construction of a platform for the vertical drilling operation.
The rescue work is likely to take 4-5 days more as efforts to drill a horizontal hole using the American auger machine didn’t yield the desired results. The rescue work had to be stopped following a fresh collapse of a boulder yesterday.