National Desk, 15th November: Efforts to rescue the 40 workers trapped inside a tunnel in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, continued on Wednesday. Workers at the accident site staged a protest, demanding the immediate evacuation of their colleagues with chants of “Hamare aadmi nikalo…” (Take out our men..).
As the rescue operation entered its fourth day, the auger drilling machine and its platform were dismantled due to a fresh landslide. Despite initial progress in creating a passage with the auger machine, a landslide on Tuesday night forced rescue officials to start preparations anew.
Drilling to insert steel pipes for creating a passage resumed, aiming to evacuate the trapped laborers by Wednesday, as per Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela. However, a stampede-like situation occurred when the landslide caused fresh rubble, leaving two laborers injured and impacting the ongoing rescue work.
The incident occurred when a portion of an under-construction tunnel on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed, trapping at least 40 workers. The total length of the tunnel is 4.5 km, with construction progressing from both Silkyara and Dandalgaon ends, leaving a stretch of 441 meters between the two sides yet to be completed.
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