Teams carve access road as part of tunnel rescue

There was little progress in efforts to reach 41 workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in Uttarkashi as the operation entered its second week with rescuers on Sunday adopting a five-pronged approach to evacuate the people.

- Amit Bathla

The rescuers were also carving out a track on the mountaintop to reach the top of the tunnel from where they can drill a vertical hole to pull the workers out.

One pipe, or "lifeline" as the authorities call them, was being pushed through the 65-meter-thick wall of debris to provide the trapped workers with solid food, officials said, adding that it had already reached a depth of 40 metres. A second "lifeline" was being pushed in vertically from top of the tunnel.

Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari, who reached the site on Sunday to review the situation, said all options were being explored to rescue the workers. "Our priority is to save the lives of the trapped workers. We have been exploring all options," Gadkari told reporters.

The construction workers have been trapped since November 12 when a portion of the 4.5-km tunnel they were building collapsed about 200 metres from the Silkyara entrance in the Uttarakhand district. The tunnel is part of the busy Chardham all-weather road, a flagship project connecting various pilgrimage sites.

Now the rescue team is working on alternatives including drilling from one end to the other on both Silkyara and Barkot sides, vertical drilling from the top of the tunnel and perpendicular drilling.

Elaborating the plans, MORTH secretary Anurag Jain said that the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Sutluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVNL), Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDCL) have been engaged for the operation, Jain said.