Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse Live Updates: Parts of broken auger machine removed from rubble, manual digging to begin today
Uttarkashi Tunnel Accident Rescue Operation Live Updates: Meanwhile, on Sunday, the first day of vertical drilling on top of the partially-collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel, almost 20 metres was covered of the with 86 metres of digging required to reach the 41 workers.
The vertical drilling machine at the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand. (Express Photo: Chitral Khambhati)
Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse News Live Updates (November 27): The remaining parts of the auger machine stuck in the rubble at Silkyara tunnel, where 41 labourers have been stranded for the last 15 days, were removed early on Monday, reported PTI. After the machine drilling through the debris in the collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel broke down – another major setback in the efforts to reach the 41 workers trapped inside for over 15 days – rescuers on Sunday were engaged in cutting through the blade of the drill. Now, rescuers plan to manually dig through the remaining debris to reach the trapped workers, say officials.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the first day of vertical drilling on top of the partially-collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarkashi, almost 20 metres was covered of the with 86 metres of digging required to reach the 41 workers who have been trapped for two weeks now. The option to drill vertically to create an escape passage was explored after the auger machine broke. A unit of Madras sappers from the Corps of Engineers of the Indian army also reached the tunnel site Sunday morning to assist the rescue operations.
Who are the men inside?
Fifteen from Jharkhand, eight from Uttar Pradesh, five each from Odisha and Bihar, three from West Bengal, two each from Uttarakhand and Assam, and one from Himachal Pradesh – the men trapped inside the Uttarkashi tunnel may have come from different states, but what united them was the need to venture out in search of a livelihood. Those working there fall in two salary brackets: Rs 24,000 for skilled workers, pump operators or drillers; and Rs 18,000 for unskilled workers such as labourers or helpers.
