Workers still stuck in Uttarkashi tunnel after delays, errors mar rescue operation

By 5pm Wednesday, the 40 workers trapped 260 metres inside a 4.5km road tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, had been trapped for 84 hours, and two rescue attempts to cut through 50 metres of rock blocking the tunnel had failed – to the despair of the families and colleagues of the workers.

- Amit Bathla

LOCALS PROTEST AT SITE

On Wednesday morning, the families and other workers staged a protest outside the tunnel, alleging that the construction company Navayuga Engineering Company Limited (NECL), and rescue teams were not doing enough to rescue the trapped men. The rescue operation is being managed by the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and Uttarakhand Disaster Management Authority. NDRF officials positioned at the spot said they are awaiting the completion of the drilling of the passage through which NDRF personnel can enter and bring back the workers.

National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) officials blamed loose rocks and sand above the broken part of the tunnel for the failure of the two attempts. But experts claimed the attempts were botched because they lacked “proper geological” inputs on how to work in a soft mountain range prone to landslides.

According to state disaster management officials, for the first two days, the rescuers tried to remove the piled debris in a 55-metre stretch of the tunnel using heavy excavator machines and sought to prevent more debris from falling using the “shotcrete method” (shotcrete is a construction technique that involves spraying concrete onto surfaces using high-velocity air).

“This did not work,” said a rescue worker who asked not to be named, blaming the structural instability (continuous falling of loose material from the roof the tunnel).

Officials from NDRF and Uttarakhand Disaster Management Authority then decided to create a “safe” passage using an auger machine and fitting in large diameter pipes of 800 and 900mm to bring the workers out.