Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse: "Ample Water, Oxygen" Assurance To Trapped Workers As Rescue Op Explores Various Options

A new rescue plan has been devised for the 41 men trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand, with a focus on horizontal drilling to create a shaft, according to Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, a member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). However, he did not provide a specific time frame for the rescue operation.

"This is not an easy challenge, so we are exploring every option. All the teams are working on it, that is the only assurance I can give. Can't establish the timeframe," he was quoted as saying by NDTV.

A tunnel-boring machine is being used to excavate the front of the tunnel, while they are also attempting to use explosives to widen the entrance in order to insert a micro-boring machine. The main priority at the moment is to "save lives".

"There is sufficient water and oxygen inside. Power and ration were made available," Hasnain assured stating that there's approximately 2 km space and lighting available inside.

"A 4- inch pipe was available which didn't get destroyed so we had a lifeline," he said at the press conference. Through this pipe, survival ration was pushed through air compression and then a 6-inch pipe was provided for enhanced food supply.

"The families have been accommodated in the hotels in a built-up area. In one or two cases, they were even able to talk through it… the more the families talk to them, the better morale will be," he said.

A group of men have become trapped when a section of the 4.5-km tunnel on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway collapsed. This tunnel, which is part of the Char Dham project, was intended to connect Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi.

The workers who were able to escape without injury are currently located in a buffer zone that is 400 meters away from the site, which is covered by 200 meters of rocky debris.

During the past week, attempts to break through the 40-meter rock wall were unsuccessful and had unintended consequences. These efforts resulted in additional rocks and debris falling from the unsealed roof, causing the wall's depth to increase from approximately 40 to over 70 meters.

The national and state disaster management authorities have received advice from an international team of tunnelling experts. Additionally, the spot is being attended to by a robotics team from the defence research organization DRDO.