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

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..."

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..."

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.

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..."

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.

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

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.

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

"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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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) 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.