Page 27 - Uttarakhand

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

Tunnel rescue: Auger machine debris removed, manual drilling to start soon

Earlier today, the auger machine being used for horizontal drilling of the tunnel that got stuck inside the pipe was cut and removed using a plasma cutter

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse update: Vertical drilling underway, 86 mts left

On Sunday, rescuers drilled over 20 metres into the hill above the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel. Rescue workers have to drill down 86 metres to reach the tunnel

Tunnel collapse: Remaining parts of auger machine stuck in rubble removed

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. Manual drilling will now start at the tunnel to prepare an escape passage for the trapped workers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Principal Secretary P K Mishra and Uttarakhand Chief Secretary S S Sandhu will visit Silkyara on Monday to review the rescue operation. The auger drill -- a corkscrew-like device with a rotary blade at the front end -- that was drilling into the debris got stuck Friday evening, forcing officials to give up on the 25-tonne machine. Parts of the auger were left to be removed from an 8.15-metre area on Sunday night. Extracting the shaft and fins of the machine from the rubble completely was necessary to pave the way for manual drilling and pushing of pipes which is in the final stretch with around 12 metres more to go.

2 BRO officials injured in road accident on way to Silkyara tunnel

Two BRO officials were injured after their SUV was hit by a private bus near the Silkyara tunnel site on Sunday afternoon, police said. The accident occurred just half a kilometre away from the tunnel, where 41 workers have been trapped for 14 days, when three Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials were on the way to the site in their official vehicle. An overloaded private bus coming from the opposite side rammed into their vehicle, an official said. The impact was such that their vehicle was dragged for a few metres before it stopped by the parapet along the hill road. The front portion of the SUV was completely damaged, the official added. Two BRO officials of the three travelling in the vehicle sustained head injuries in the accident, the official further said. They were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were discharged after being given stitches. The matter is being probed, a police officer said.

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Revisit safety guidelines, say experts

"This is a war, and the enemy is Himalayan geology," National Disaster Management Authority member Syed Ata Hasnain told reporters earlier this week

Vertical drilling begins in Uttarkashi tunnel to rescue trapped workers

Auger parts being pulled out to rescue 41 tunnel workers

Silkyara tunnel rescue: Vertical drilling of 20 metres done on first day

Vertical drilling of 19.2 metres was done on Sunday to create an alternative escape route for the 41 workers trapped inside the collapsed tunnel in Silkyara here for two weeks, an official said. Drilling to create a vertical pathway from the top of the hill above the collapsed tunnel began on Sunday, a day after an auger machine carrying out horizontal drilling broke down. Rescuers have to drill down 86 metres from above to reach the trapped workers. Vertical drilling has gone up to 19.2 metres so far, NHIDCL MD Mahmood Ahmed said at a press briefing in Silkyara on Sunday evening. "The exercise is going on smoothly and if it goes like this without facing obstructions, we can hope to finish it in four days by November 30," he said. On Saturday, the auger machine's blades got stuck inside the rubble, hindering the multi-agency rescue effort that began on November 12 when a portion of the under-construction tunnel on Uttarakhand's Char Dham route collapsed following a landslide, trap

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U'khand tunnel rescue: Efforts on to retrieve broken parts of auger machine

The National Disaster Management Authority on Sunday said that work is on to retrieve broken parts of the auger machine and start manual digging while vertical drilling has also started to bring out 41 workers trapped in Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi for the last 14 days. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain told reporters here that all efforts are going on to rescue the workers. Considered as the second best option, the work on vertical drilling started around noon and 15 meters of drilling has already been completed, Hasnain said. After 86 meters of vertical drilling, the crust of the tunnel will have to be broken to bring out the trapped workers, he added. The member also mentioned that as many as six plans are being executed to rescue the workers but the best option so far is horizontal drilling under which 47 meters of drilling have been completed. Machines for undertaking sideways drilling (perpendicular drilling) are expected t

Uttarakhand tunnel rescue: 8-metre progress made through vertical drilling

Two locations were identified for the vertical drilling, and both are on the Silkyara side of the high-altitude under-construction tunnel, a portion of which caved in on November 12

Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: IAF flies in 'critical DRDO equipment' to site

Earlier, on Sunday, a plasma-cutting machine was flown to the tunnel site from Hyderabad to cut through the Auger drilling machine and its stuck blades from inside the tunnel

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Protection umbrella being laid for rescue team

A BSNL official, said they are in the process of sending a small landline phone to the stranded workers through the pipe. "Through this, they will be able to talk directly to their families," he said

Tunnel collapse: 86-metre vertical drilling soon as horizontal efforts fail

The operation to rescue 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel may take a long time with the auger machine for horizontal drilling facing repeated hurdles and rescuers are now preparing to start vertical drilling, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Saturday. The vertical drilling will start in the next 24 to 36 hours, NDMA member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said, adding the front part of the auger machine was broken and efforts are being made to retrieve those from the tunnel. "We need to have patience as it is a dangerous operation ... 'is operation main lamba samay lag sakta hai' (this operation may take a long time)," he said, without mentioning any timeline for the completion of rescue operations. Drilling at the collapsed portion of the Silkyara tunnel to rescue the trapped men halted again on Friday night after the auger machine engaged in drilling through the rubble to prepare an escape passage faced a hurdle, apparently a metal object, and ...

U'khand tunnel mishap: 41 trapped grow impatient amid hurdles in rescue op

"He looked very stressed and impatient and kept asking us when would they come out," Sunita, whose brother-in-law Virender is among the 41 workers trapped inside the collapsed tunnel in Silkyara here for the past 13 days, said on Saturday. Virender's plea summed up the mood among the trapped workers and their relatives who have gathered here. As the rescue effort hits one after another hurdles, hope is gradually giving way to impatience and disappointment. After her interaction with Virender this morning, Sunita said, "Today we talked about 10 minutes.... He did not eat this morning. He told me that he does not want to eat.... We are very anxious now. He looked very stressed and impatient. He kept asking us when would they come out." Hailing from Bihar, she has come to the site along with her husband Devender and Virender's wife. Virender's elder brother Devender said the authorities are giving them hope everyday but are yet to achieve success. "For the last two days we are being

U'khand CM inspects tunnel site, Arnold Dix sheds hope amid delay in rescue

Speaking to the media, Dhami said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very sensitive towards the workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel

Setback to tunnel rescue work, expert says auger machine has busted

The auger machine engaged for drilling through the rubble at the Silkyara tunnel to rescue 41 trapped workers has busted, international tunnelling expert Arnold Dix said on Saturday. "Augering is finished...the auger is broken, destructed," he told reporters in Silkyara. The auger machine was facing repeated obstructions in the rubble in the past few days. When asked about other options such as vertical or manual drilling, he said all options are being explored. "Every door we are opening has its advantages and disadvantages. What we have to ensure is the safety of the rescuers as well as those who are trapped," he said. The multi-agency rescue effort began November 12 when a portion of the under-construction tunnel on Uttarakhand's Char Dham route collapsed following a landslide, trapping the 41 workers inside.

U'khand tunnel rescue: BRO to transport machines for vertical drilling

"Soon, a joint meeting of all the departments concerned will be held and decision will be taken on when work on the vertical drilling will commence," said the official