MODI'S CURSED TUNNEL
Efforts to rescue workers from collapsed tunnel in India to resume
24 November 2023, 09:54
A drilling machine is being redeployed to help reach 41 trapped people after it ran into problems on Thursday.
Rescuers racing to evacuate 41 construction workers who have been trapped in a collapsed tunnel in northern India for nearly two weeks are hoping to resume drilling on Friday after a mechanical problem a day earlier forced them to halt.
The platform of the drilling machine, which became unstable while boring through rock debris, has been fixed, Bhaskar Khulbe, a former adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office, said at the accident site.
Before they can resume drilling, rescuers are manually digging through the debris to remove pieces of metal to avoid damaging the machine, said Kirti Panwar, a government spokesperson.
Drilling was also paused on Wednesday after the boring machine hit a metal girder, causing some damage to its blades and a six-hour delay as rescuers worked to clear the obstacle.
The workers have been trapped since November 12 when a landslide in mountainous Uttarakhand state caused a portion of the 2.8-mile tunnel they were building to collapse about 650ft from the entrance.
Rescuers began drilling through the entrance of the tunnel to reach them but have been stymied by debris and technical problems.
The mountainous terrain has proved a challenge for the drilling machine, which broke down earlier as rescuers attempted to dig horizontally toward the trapped workers. The machine’s high-intensity vibrations also caused more debris to fall.
As efforts stretch into the 13th day, rescuers have drilled through 151ft and need to excavate up to 40ft more to create a passageway, Mr Panwar said.
Rescue teams are inserting and welding together pipes through which the trapped workers are to escape to freedom. About 151ft of pipes have been put in so far, he said.
Members of the National Disaster Response Force will then bring out the workers one by one on stretchers that have been fitted with wheels.
Officials earlier hoped to be ready to start bringing the workers out on Thursday but now that will not happen.
Authorities have been supplying the trapped workers with hot meals made of rice and lentils through a six-inch pipe, after days in which they survived on dry food sent through a narrower pipe. Oxygen is being supplied through a separate pipe.
Officials earlier released a video after a camera was pushed through the pipe showing the workers in their construction hats moving around the blocked tunnel while communicating with rescuers on walkie-talkies.
Most of the trapped workers are migrant labourers from across the country. Many of their families have travelled to the accident site, where they have camped out for days to get updates on the rescue and in hopes of seeing their relatives soon.
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