Uttarkashi Rescue: American Auger Snag Halts Operations; Manual Drilling Considered as Agencies Work to Overcome Setbacks.
Picture this: the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITB), and other central and state agencies are anxiously gathered at the Uttarkashi rescue site. The American auger machine, crucial for the rescue, encountered a problem when it hit a metal grinder during the final phase of the operation. This unexpected obstacle has prolonged the time needed to bring the trapped workers to safety.
The rescue efforts, which began on Friday morning, took a challenging turn in the evening. The auger’s encounter with a metal grinder in the debris forced a temporary halt to the drilling. We currently don’t know when the drilling will resume and when the workers will be finally freed from the collapsed tunnel.
Read more:-Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue: 41 Men’s Liberation Nears in Final Phase
Final Phase: Delays Force Manual Drilling
According to the agencies involved, only 10-12 meters of drilling remain in the final phase, and it could be completed in 5-6 hours once resumed. However, due to various setbacks requiring repairs to the American auger machine, rescuers are considering manual drilling, although this may slow down the process.
The NDRF has a plan in place to use a stretcher with wheels to transport the rescued workers once the drilling is complete. Unfortunately, there’s no set timeline for the conclusion of the rescue operations, and the workers may remain trapped for another day.
To overcome challenges, rescuers are considering vertical drilling after facing multiple setbacks in the horizontal drilling of the tunnel. The final phase requires clearing only 10 per cent of the remaining portion.
With no fixed timeline provided by the government and agencies, it’s anticipated that the rescue mission might take another 18-24 hours if rescuers resort to manual drilling methods.
Read more:-Race Against Time: Govt’s 5-Option Plan for Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue
Day 14: Trapped Workers Await Rescue
For 14 days now, these 41 workers have been trapped in the rubble of the Silkyara tunnel since Diwali day on November 12. As the rescue operations remain on hold on Day 14, there’s uncertainty about when they will resume. The wait continues for both the trapped workers and the dedicated rescue teams.
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