NDRF personnel enter Silkyara Uttarkashi Tunnel as Rescue Operations Intensifies

On Wednesday, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel initiated operations within the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, aiming to rescue 41 workers who are currently trapped. The rescue efforts at the site have been heightened, with approximately 30 ambulances strategically positioned to provide emergency services if necessary.

Bisan Singh Panwar, Ambulance Technical Staff, shared with ANI, "Oxygen cylinders are readily available in the ambulances. Once the workers are brought out, their vital organs will undergo examination. We have organized a total of 30 ambulances, including 8 advanced life support ambulances and 22 BLS ambulances. We have been instructed to stay vigilant as the rescue operation may conclude by night."

Earlier today, Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to the Prime Minister Office and Special Executive Officer in the Uttarakhand Tourism Department, expressed optimism about commencing the next phase of work on the same day. Khulbe announced, "I am pleased to inform you that in the last hour of our efforts, we have drilled an additional 6-meter length using an American Oger machine. I am hopeful that work for the next phase will commence within the next 2 hours."

The government disclosed that ONGC is mobilizing machinery from the USA, Mumbai, and Ghaziabad for vertical boring in support of the rescue mission.

The incident, which occurred on November 12, 2023, involved a collapse in the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot due to debris falling in a 60-meter stretch on the Silkyara side. The trapped area, spanning 8.5 meters in height and 2 kilometers in length, constitutes the built-up portion of the tunnel, providing safety to the laborers with available electricity and water supply.

Five agencies—ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL—have been assigned specific responsibilities, collaborating with occasional task adjustments for operational efficiency, as outlined by the government.