Page 26 - Uttarakhand

Silkyara tunnel rescue operation keeps homestays, hotels in Uttarkashi busy

Homestays and hotels near the Silkyara tunnel site, where Char Dham pilgrims usually stay between April and September, have been hosting a different category of visitors for the last few days. Officials from multiple agencies have been camping at these hotels after a rescue operation was launched to evacuate 41 labourers trapped in the collapsed tunnel. On Tuesday, rescue workers appeared close to breaking through the 60-metre stretch of rubble of the collapsed tunnel. Most of these hotels and homestays in Uttarkashi are located on the National Highway-94 connecting Gangotri and Yamunotri. A majority of top state and government officials have been staying for the past few days at Anantam Residency, one such hotel in Bramhkhal village that is about 12 kilometres from the Silkyara tunnel site. On this 12 km stretch of the national highway, hotels and homestays in at least 10 villages of the Uttarkashi district are being used by officials of multi-agency rescue teams. "The six month

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: A glimpse into the Himalayan challenge

17 harrowing days have passed since the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel collapsed, trapping 41 workers. Despite a relentless multi-agency rescue effort, the formidable enemy is clear - Himalayan geology itself

Rescue workers 'close to' breaking through rubble in Silkyara tunnel

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: A portion of the tunnel collapsed on November 12, blocking the exit 41 workers inside

Jio provides voice, data services at Silkyara tunnel within 12 hrs

Reliance Jio, the nation's biggest mobile telephony operator, has set up mobile infrastructure near the collapsed tunnel in the himalayas within 12 hours to provide voice and data services to aid the rescue of 41 construction workers. The remote part of Uttarakhand had weak signals and authorities, working day and night to rescue the workers trapped in the under-construction tunnel since its collapse more than two weeks ago, had asked the telecom operator to boost the network. Posting pictures of the mobile tower, Reliance in a post on X said it surmounted challenges of no power and poles besides poor road connectivity to provide voice and data services. "Our Jio Team is working shoulder-to-shoulder with those tasked with the rescue operations. Honoured to report that Jio's data and voice services have been provided at this challenging vertical location within 12 hours," it said. Stating that no vehicle can go to the hilltop location, the company said there are no poles and power a

Hoping for good news by evening: Nodal officer for Silkyara tunnel rescue

Addressing the media at the tunnel site, Neeraj Khairwal said, "As of now, we have pushed 55.3 metres of the pipe. This includes clearing of the rubble as well as laying the pipe

Uttarakhand tunnel: BJP criticises Congress for post against PM Modi

Dushyant Kumar called the post 'unfortunate' and said, "At a time when the whole country is praying for the lives of those 41 trapped labourers

Ambulances ready, road being repaired to rush Silkyara workers to hospital

A separate ward comprising 41 oxygen-supported beds has been readied at the community health centre in Chinyalisaur, about 30 km from Silkyara, for the workers

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Manual drilling advances, breakthrough soon

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said almost 52 metres of drilling has been done, and it is expected that there will be a breakthrough around 57 metres

Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: Manual drilling underway to create escape route

The rescue mission to extract 41 trapped workers, led by multiple agencies, from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand is underway. Check the latest update here

Silkyara tunnel rescue ops: Army's manual drilling begins, but no deadline

Meanwhile, the IMD has issued a Yellow Alert for the area, and a light rain might impact the area in the coming 24-48 hours. NDMA says that the rain is not likely to impact the operations

Not involved in collapsed Uttarakhand tunnel's construction: Adani Group

The conglomerate marked the allegations, which stated it held shares in a company that constructed the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel, as 'nefarious'

Rat-hole mining: Rescuers in Uttarakhand resort to traditional method

Rescuers have fallen back on the rat-hole mining technique to evacuate 41 labourers trapped in a tunnel in this Uttarakhand district for 15 days, following the failure of a heavy machine to drill through the rubble to create an escape passage for them. Rat-hole mining is often associated with Meghalaya, where holes are drilled for mining small amounts of coal. At the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, at least 12 experts have been called by Trenchless Engineering Services Private Limited and Navayuga Engineers Private limited for applying the rat-hole mining technique horizontally in the collapsed part of the main structure. They have come from Delhi, Jhansi and other parts of the country. "They will have to drill at least 10 to 12 metres with their own hands. They will mostly use two tools -- hand-held drilling machines to remove the rubble and gas cutters for cutting the iron hurdles," an official said. According to Neeraj Khairwal, Additional Secretary, Uttarakhand government and t

Despite challenges, efforts on to rescue trapped workers in U'khand: PM

Despite challenges from nature in the evacuation process of the 41 workers trapped inside a tunnel in Uttarakhand, the government stands firmly to bring them out to safety, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday. Modi prayed for the safe evacuation of the workers who have been trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand for the last 15 days at a 'Koti Deepotsavam', a religious event of lighting lamps during the Hindu Kartika month, here. He said the government is making continuous efforts to evacuate the workers safely and as early as possible. "But, we have to complete this relief and rescue operation with lot of alertness. Nature is continuously giving us challenges in this effort. But, we are standing firm. We are making efforts round-the-clock. We have to pray for the safe evacuation of those workers and to do it as early as possible," Modi said. The government and all agencies together are leaving no stone unturned to bring them out safely, he said. "When we are praying to God to

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Pray for trapped workers, appeals PM Modi

The Prime Minister said that nature is constantly throwing challenges towards the rescue operation, underway to bring the trapped men out

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Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Rescue ops could take several days; latest updates

The operation to rescue 41 workers trapped inside Silkyara tunnel continue amid daily challenges. Rescue teams are tugging their plans to facilitate the rescue, avoiding further delays.

U'khand tunnel rescue: Robots to check on trapped workers' mental health

After a portion of the tunnel caved in on November 12 in Uttarakhand, the debris falling in the 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel trapped 41 labourers inside

U'khand tunnel: Rat-hole miners arrive for manual horizontal drilling

Vertical drilling from the top of the Silkyara tunnel, where 41 workers have been trapped for the last 15 days, progressed to 31 metres on Monday as a team of rat-hole miners arrived at the site to start manual drilling horizontally through the rubble. Vertical and manual horizontal drilling are the two methods on which rescue efforts are being focused at the moment. Work on the other options, such as horizontal drilling from the Barkot end of the tunnel is also underway. A total of 86 metres have to be drilled vertically to prepare an escape passage. Pipes of 1.2 metres in diameter have to be laid vertically through the top of the tunnel on which work began on Sunday as a second option to reach the stranded labourers. Lt Gen Harpal Singh (retd), former engineer-in-chief of the Army, informed reporters in Silkyara that vertical drilling has been done up to 31 metres. Singh, who has also headed the Border Roads Organisation, is involved in the rescue operation. The 200-mm diameter .

Trapped workers talking to kin, counsellors daily to stay motivated

"Don't be nervous, we're on it." That's what family members of Saba Ahmad, one of the 41 workers trapped at Sikyara tunnel for the last 15 days, keep telling whenever they communicate with him. A mic has been sent to the workers, stuck in a 2-km built-up area beyond the rubble accumulated in the collapsed part, through a pipe which helps them talk to people outside. As the rescue operation got delayed due to the hurdles in drilling, Saba Ahmad was counselled by doctors and psychiatrists to keep him motivated, his brother Naiiyar Ahmad told PTI. A team of doctors, stationed at the rescue operation site, talk to the trapped workers twice a day -- from 9 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 8 pm. Also, family members of the trapped workers are allowed to talk to them anytime they like. The administration has set up a camp for the kin of the workers outside the tunnel. Naiiyar, who is staying in a room provided by the construction company, near the camp said he talks to his brother twice daily and

Tunnel rescue: Vertical drilling done up to 31 metres, says BRO's ex-DG

Vertical drilling from above the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel has been done up to 31 metres, former DG of Border Roads Organisation Harpal Singh said on Monday at the site of the rescue operation. A total of 86 metres have to be drilled vertically to prepare an escape passage for the 41 workers trapped for the last 15 days. Pipes of 1.2 metres in diameter have to be laid vertically through the top of the tunnel by this method adopted as a second option. Preparations are also underway to start horizontal drilling inside the main tunnel manually, he said. Rescuers need to manually dig 10 to 12 metres through the rubble after the auger machine broke down. "Frames of 800 mm diameter pipes have been prepared. We will move ahead by half a metre to one metre gradually. If all goes well and no obstacles are encountered a 10-metre stretch can be covered in 24-36 hours," he said. The auger drill -- a corkscrew-like device with a rotary blade at the front end -- that was drilling into the debris go