India tunnel collapse: Ambulances on standby as rescue of trapped workers enters final stretch

Geotechnical engineers suggest that the slow progress in rescue efforts to free the 41 trapped workers in Uttarkashi could be because of factors such as the collapse taking on an unstable chimney-shaped form and the use of rotating drills that disintegrate rock debris instead of penetrating it.

“One possibility is the formation of a chimney-shaped collapse along an unsupported tunnel section within the rubble,” Ashish Juneja, professor of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay told Telegraph India.

“When you try to drill through this unstable debris, loose soil and rocks will keep falling from the top, stalling progress.”

“The more material you remove, the more it falls from the top,” he said.

Another factor influencing the slow progress in the rescue efforts could be the way boulders or rocks embedded within the rubble react to the drilling operations.“The drills used are likely strong enough to penetrate and tear through the rock, but sometimes drills cause the boulder to just rotate and stay where it is. Then you can’t go further,” Mr Juneja said.

“In such circumstances, you would need to use chisels or hammers or other instruments to dislodge the boulder — and that can also slow progress.”

Director General of National Disaster Response Force, Atul Karwal told ANI this morning: “NDRF is ready for all the consequences that we may have to face. Special equipment is also ready so that we can take the trapped workers out as early as possible. Our teams are ready as I hope we will be able to rescue the workers soon.”

Besides medicine and hot meals, rescue teams have also provided the trapped tunnel workers with undergarments, towels, toothbrushes and other essentials.

On Tuesday, the first visuals of the 41 trapped workers emerged after an endoscopic camera was sent through a pipe which captured the workers’ first images since 12 November.

An audio communication channel was also successfully established with the workers after sending a microphone and speaker to the other end of a six-inch pipe.

An official told the Indian Express that “on this side, we are using headphones to talk to them”.

“Using this channel, our doctors talked to them and asked about their wellbeing. Some of them complained of constipation and medicines were provided,” Uttarakhand government secretary, Neeraj Khairwal said.

The chief minister of Uttarakhand state reached Uttarkashi district this morning as preparations to evacuate the 41 trapped workers reached the final stage.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, Pushkar Singh Dhami is present in Uttarkashi as medical equipment reached the site to pull the workers to safety.

After reports of a snag, it is now being reported that drilling has resumed and anticipation among family members who have been waiting outside for days is peaking.

A team of doctors will be the first to go inside the tunnel to examine the workers before they are evacuated to safety, reports said.

The operation is at a critical stage after reports that drilling hit a snag this morning, but officials still say the workers will most likely be out today.

Ambulances are on standby and disaster response teams have entered the tunnel entrance equipped with stretchers and other tools to carry the workers to safety.

“We are far better off than we were yesterday,” retired Lieutenant General of the Indian Army, Syed Ata Hasnain — who is also a member of the Indian government’s National Disaster Management Authority [NDMA] said.

In an interview with India Today, Mr Ata Hasnain said that “I would always place a caution. The job being done is hugely technological. It is being wonderfully done with the equipment fabricated, improvised, everything. But the geology of the Himalayan region is not a geology with which you can have any predictions.”

He added: “You know, the kind of obstacles we came across on the 16th, 17th of November, those kind of obstacles put us off by almost five days. So, therefore, I will hold my horses, but I will definitely say we are far better off than we were yesterday.”

Ambulances and doctors are on standby as the rescue operation at the Silkyara tunnel site enters its final stages.

At the community health centre in Chinyalisaur, Uttarakhand, a makeshift 41-bed hospital has been made for the medical examination and treatment of the trapped workers after their evacuation.

The 41 men have been trapped inside the tunnel for more than 11 days.

All hospitals in the Uttarkashi district as well as AIIMS Rishikesh are on alert, officials said.

There are reports coming in from the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse site that the rescue operation might have been halted and is expected to resume in the afternoon.

The Times of India reported that the final leg of the operation in which the last 800mm pipe was being placed, has reportedly bent due to an obstacle in its way. It said that a team of experts has been called in from Delhi to correct it.

The team is expected to reach the site within a few hours.

BBC News is also reporting that rescue teams “found metal bars that they couldn’t cut through”.

The placement of the last pipe, which will create a passageway for the trapped workers, is currently underway at the site.

The final phase of rescue operations at the Silkyara tunnel started earlier today, as officials said preparations were in place to ensure prompt medical attention for the workers once they are safely evacuated.

An electrician on-site reported that the placement of the last pipe is currently underway, News18 reported.

The workers might have been freed earlier on Wednesday night, but progress faced a slight setback late Wednesday when the auger machine encountered some iron rods obstructing the drilling of 800 mm diameter steel pipes through the rubble.