News India Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Drilling halted again as auger machine faces another technical glitch

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Drilling halted again as auger machine faces another technical glitch

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Labourers have been trapped inside the collapsed tunnel for the past 12 days. A multi-agency rescue operation including PMO officials are monitoring the progress.

Uttarakhand, Uttarkashi tunnel collapse, Silkyara tunnel collapse, NDMA, labourers Image Source : PTISetup outside the entrance of Silkyara Tunnel during the rescue operation of 41 workers trapped inside the under-construction tunnel, in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi.

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse Updates: Drilling at the Silkyara tunnel to rescue 41 trapped labourers has once again halted after another technical glitch. Officials at the site said that the American auger machine faced a hurdle, apparently a metal object, after it resumed drilling on Friday. So far approximately 46 meters of drilling has been completed and around 5 meters are left. The multi-agency rescue effort began November 12 when a portion of the under-construction tunnel on Uttarakhand's Char Dham route collapsed, trapping workers who were still inside. Officials have also informed that if the auger machine does not work then they will decide on proceeding via manually drilling in the remaining part. NDMA has advised the media not to predict rescue operation completeness timings as it creates confusion. The 41 labourers have been stuck at the collapsed tunnel site for the past 12 days as the multi-agency rescue operation continues with anxious emotions and hopes. 

Latest India News

Live updates : Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue

  • 11:41 PM (IST) Posted by Shashwat Bhandari

    Manual drilling likely to be option if auger machine continues to face technical glitch

    After a high-level meeting, it has been decided that if again American Auger machine face any fault, then they will proceed with manual drilling with the help of all modern equipment.

    For this, it has been clearly mentioned that first Auger machine will come out which takes approximately 1-2 hours and after that, manual digging will start.

  • 9:26 PM (IST) Posted by Shashwat Bhandari

    Geophysicist, GPR survey team member B Chendhoor on auger machine technical snag

    Geophysicist, GPR survey team member B Chendhoor says, "We were called because something got stuck in the auger machine. GPR helps us know how far the metallic object is...GPR basically scans, therefore two people are needed one to run the GPR & the other to acquire the data..."

  • 9:24 PM (IST) Posted by Shashwat Bhandari

    Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Uttarkashi tunnel collapse

    Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Uttarkashi tunnel collapse | "We hope that all of them are rescued safely. They have been stuck there since November 12... Every expert says that there was no escape tunnel. No rules & regulations were followed... The central or the state government should take accountability from the contractors..."

  • 7:45 PM (IST) Posted by Shashwat Bhandari

    Rescue team faces technical glitch once again

    The rescue operation has halted again as team is facing another technical glitch. The Auger machine is being brought out once again. The drilling has been halted.

  • 7:43 PM (IST) Posted by Shashwat Bhandari

    Rescue official on drone technology being used in operation

    On drone technology that is being used in the rescue operation, Cyriac Joseph, MD & CEO, Squadrone Infra Mining Pvt Ltd said, "This is a new technology, it goes into GPS denied areas, it is used in underground tunnel & underground mines...It has been introduced in India recently...Our target is how we can rescue the 41 trapped workers & how quickly we can do it. The safety of the rescue team is also important..."

  • 7:05 PM (IST) Posted by Shashwat Bhandari

    Watch | How trapped labourers will be pulled outside collapsed tunnel

    NDRF demonstrates the movement of wheeled stretchers through the pipeline, for the rescue of 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara Tunnel once the horizontal pipe reaches the other side.

  • 4:56 PM (IST) Posted by Shashwat Bhandari

    NDMA advises media not to make guesses on rescue operation completion timeline

    NDMA advises media not to make guesses on timeline for completion of rescue operations as it creates a wrong perception, reports PTI.

  • 4:51 PM (IST) Posted by Shashwat Bhandari

    NDMA members says there will no obstacle in next 5 meters

    Using ground penetrating radar, it has been detected that there is no obstacle in the next 5 meters on our path. We continue to use this to detect obstacles, if any, informed Member of the National Disaster Management Authority, Lt General (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain.

     

  • 4:32 PM (IST) Posted by Shashwat Bhandari

    Relatives of trapped workers speak to persons stranded in Silkyara tunnel, says NDMA

    Relatives of trapped workers, Union and state ministers have spoken to persons stranded in Silkyara tunnel, informs NDMA.

  • 3:59 PM (IST) Posted by Shashwat Bhandari

    Hope we don't face any more hurdle now, says rescue operation official

    "When the welding of the new pipe, that we will laying down now, shall be done (which takes around 2 hours), we hope that we push the pipe further this time and no hurdle is there to stop it," said Additional Secretary Technical, Road and Transport Mahmood Ahmed.

  • 3:47 PM (IST) Posted by Shashwat Bhandari

    Auger machine disassembled after contact with steel pipes, repaired

    The auger machine had to be disassembled due to steel pipes coming in front of it and the pipe being inserted inside getting bent. Due to this, the auger machine was damaged, it has been repaired, informed Uttarakhand government.

  • 2:30 PM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    PM Modi gives special instructions to Uttarakhand CM amid oning ops

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave special instructions to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami that when the workers come out of the tunnel, special attention should be paid to their health check-ups and medical care. CM Dhami also informed the Prime Minister that along with monitoring the ongoing relief and rescue operations in the Silkyara Tunnel at the ground level.

  • 12:54 PM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    MoS VK Singh reaches rescue site | VIDEO

    Union Minister Gen VK Singh (Retd) reached the site to oversee the ongoing rescue operation. The minister had visited the site on Thursday as well. 

     

  • 12:49 PM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    PM Modi speaks to Uttarakhand CM, takes stock of rescue operation

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and took stock of the ongoing rescue operation. Notably, the central government has been in constant touch with the state government since the rescue operation began on November 12. 

  • 12:32 PM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    Welder's team entered damaged pipe, auger reassembly begins

    A 25-tonne platform mounting the Heavy American Auger machine being used to drill through the debris has been strengthened using an accelerating agent for rapid hardening of concrete. The platform on which the equipment was mounted had developed some cracks when the rescue operation was underway on Thursday, and the process of horizontal drilling through the debris had to be paused.

    (Video credit: Manish Prasad) 

     

  • 11:14 AM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    'They are in good health...', says brother of one of the trapped workers

    Speaking to the media, Haridwar Sharma, brother of Sushil Sharma - one of the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel, reassured that the trapped workers are in good health. "They are in good health. I talked to my brother, he said there is no problem. Breakfast was being provided now. Doctors have been talking to them also," he said.

  • 11:10 AM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    Mock drill conducted at rescue site | WATCH

    The NDRF demonstrated the movement of wheeled stretchers through the pipeline, for the rescue of workers trapped inside the tunnel once the horizontal pipe reaches the other side.

  • 10:29 AM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    Uttarakhand CM Dhami tracks ops from temporary office camp at Matali

    As merely a few metres separated the rescuers and the trapped workers in the collapsed portion of the under-construction of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, a temporary camp office was put together at Matali for Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to monitor the ongoing operation real-time. According to an official release today, CM Dhami was closely tracking the ongoing efforts to safely extract 41 labourers.

  • 9:00 AM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    WATCH: Fresh visuals from rescue site in Uttarkashi

    Fresh visuals have surfaced from the site where the rescue operation is underway to rescue the 41 trapped workers. The pipe which had halted the work of auger machine has been removed to resume the rescue operation.

  • 8:57 AM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    'We hope workers will be rescued by today evening': Ex-PMO official

    Former advisor to PMO, Bhaskar Khulbe expressed hope that the trapped workers will be rescued today evening. "The situation is much better now. Last night, we had to work on two things. First, we had to revamp the platform of the machine... Parsons Company had done the ground penetration radar, through which we got to know that for the next 5 meters, there is no metallic obstruction. This means that our drilling should be smooth. When we were taking out the debris, we got two mangled pipes," he told the media. 

  • 7:37 AM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    WATCH: Latest visuals from outside tunnel

    The latest visuals have surfaced from outside the tunnel. The workers have been trapped for 13 days after a portion of the under-construction tunnel collapsed on November 12.

     

  • 7:18 AM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    Food being packed for trapped workers | VIDEO

    As the rescue operation is underway, food was being packed for the workers who are trapped inside. The rescue operation is in full swing with various agencies working on multiple rescue options. 

  • 7:14 AM (IST) Posted by Anurag Roushan

    Drone technolgy being used to rescue trapped workers

    Drone technology is also being used to rescue the trapped workers at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand. Cyriac Joseph, MD & CEO, Squadrone Infra Mining Pvt Ltd said this drone is one of the latest technologies which can go inside the tunnel. "It goes into GPS-denied areas and we can access if there is any convergence..." he added.