Life In A Tunnel: How The 41 Banded, And Survived, Together
Hindustan Times|November 30, 2023
'Never lost hope; when food was not coming through, oxygen was'
Amit Bathla and Debabrata Mohanty
Life In A Tunnel: How The 41 Banded, And Survived, Together

They had entered, a band of brothers, at 8pm on November 11, eager to work through the night, so that when they emerged the next morning, Diwali could be celebrated in earnest. But at 5.30 the next morning, as the machines whirred, and the 41 men in the hard hats welded and forged a crucial pathway in the Himalayas, the tunnel around them rumbled. The mountains are predictable in their unpredictability, and for a while the men continued undeterred. But for the next half an hour -- as they gradually grew perturbed -- the debris continued to fall, completely blocking their exit. They scrambled at first, but their experience told them to stand back and find cover. Bisweswar Nayak first remembers looking at his mobile phone at 8am. “By that time, we knew we were trapped. I was scared, and all I could think of were my family, and my children,” Nayak said.

For the next 17 days, Nayak and the 40 other men made a 2km stretch of the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarkashi their home; finding inventive ways to survive using the bare minimum the collapsed structure had to offer. Their only solace each other, they were afraid; lost hope; found it again; lost it again; but stayed together as rescuers on the outside went through one technique after another to find a way out. On 7.45pm on November 29, they finally emerged -- to a shower of marigolds, cheers, and waiting family -- healthy and on their feet.

Nayak, 40, from Odisha, had worked in tunnel construction in the mountains for four-and-a-half years, and when the sounds of a landslide first began at 5.30am on November 12, he had first believed they would find their way out. “There have been at least four earthquakes during my years in Uttarakhand and never had something like this happened. We kept delaying, thinking it would stop, but the rocks kept falling. By 8am, the debris was close to 70 metres thick,” Nayak said.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 30, 2023 من Hindustan Times.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 30, 2023 من Hindustan Times.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من HINDUSTAN TIMES مشاهدة الكل
Palestinian PM Resigns Citing 'New Reality' Of War In Gaza
Hindustan Times

Palestinian PM Resigns Citing 'New Reality' Of War In Gaza

The United States and other powers have called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take charge of all Palestinian territories after the end of war

time-read
1 min  |
February 27, 2024
Future Perfect: The Kids Are All Right
Hindustan Times

Future Perfect: The Kids Are All Right

Gill and Jurel hold out promise by simplifying a challenging chase to help India seal series

time-read
4 mins  |
February 27, 2024
Akshay feels 'blessed' to have worked with OG Ramayan cast
Hindustan Times

Akshay feels 'blessed' to have worked with OG Ramayan cast

Director Akshay K Agarwal shot a music video, Humare Ram Aaye Hai, with the cast of the 1987 TV show, Ramayanactors Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia and Sunil Lahri - in Ayodhya recently.

time-read
1 min  |
January 22, 2024
Musk's firm gets nod for Sat Net; joins Jio, Bharti
Hindustan Times

Musk's firm gets nod for Sat Net; joins Jio, Bharti

Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been allowed to offer satellite broadband services in India, two officials aware of the development said.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 22, 2024
A temple, 169 years in the making
Hindustan Times

A temple, 169 years in the making

Through decades of design and reworks, hurdles in engineering and construction, HT pieces together how the grandeur of the Ram Temple was reclaimed

time-read
8 mins  |
January 22, 2024
'Political interference' forces Vihari to quit Andhra cricket
Hindustan Times

'Political interference' forces Vihari to quit Andhra cricket

After Andhra bowed out of the Ranji Trophy at the quarter-final stage with a four-run defeat to Madhya Pradesh in Indore on Monday, senior batter Hanuma Vihari launched a scathing attack on the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), saying he will never turn up for the state again.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 27, 2024
Shafali, Kapp lead Capitals to a 9-wicket win over Warriorz
Hindustan Times

Shafali, Kapp lead Capitals to a 9-wicket win over Warriorz

A blazing fifty by Shafali Verma (64₹, 43 balls) helped Delhi Capitals make a mockery of a target of 120 and open their account in the second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).

time-read
2 mins  |
February 27, 2024
Making 'unbelievable things believable', the Ayhika way
Hindustan Times

Making 'unbelievable things believable', the Ayhika way

The India No. 7 was an inspired pick for the world team event and she repaid the faith, beating the Chinese world No.1

time-read
3 mins  |
February 27, 2024
'Connected TVs to reach 45 mn by 2024-end in India'
Hindustan Times

'Connected TVs to reach 45 mn by 2024-end in India'

With improvement in broadband penetration, Indian households are increasingly opting for connected or addressable TVs.

time-read
1 min  |
February 27, 2024
India chip strategy makes progress as $21 billion in proposals received
Hindustan Times

India chip strategy makes progress as $21 billion in proposals received

The Indian government, after years of watching from the sidelines of the chips race, now has to evaluate $21 billion of semiconductor proposals and divvy up taxpayer support between foreign chipmakers, local champions or some combination of the two.

time-read
1 min  |
February 27, 2024