Amid the ongoing rescue operations in a collapsed tunnel in Uttarkashi will be completed through manual drilling after the authorities brought out the damaged Auger machine on Saturday morning. What are the current standingsAccording to ANI reports, The Auger machines blade struck the obstacle and sustained serious damage. As the trapped 41 workers were a few meters away from the rescuers, the management decided to employ manual drilling. VIDEO | Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue: Damaged blades of the auger machine being taken out from the tunnel. Efforts to rescue 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel has entered the 14th day.#UttarakhandTunnelRescue pic.twitter.com/Nf7SAu37DJ— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 25, 2023Speaking to ANI, the tunnel expert Arnold Dix, There are multiple ways. Its not just one way. At the moment, everything is fine. You will not see the Augering anymore. Auger is finished. The auger (machine) has broken. Its irreparable. No more work from Auger. No more drilling from the auger. There will not be a new auger.The ANI reports cited that frequent breakdowns in the Auger machine had been delaying the rescue operations. As the machine hits an obstruction, it needs to be pulled back 50 meters and pushed back again after repairs, which can delay the process by 5-7 hours. The official also revealed, While drilling with the US-made Auger machine, if we hit an obstruction every two to three feet, we have to remove it. And, every time we hit an obstruction, we have to roll Auger back 50 meters (up to which the pipeline has been laid). After running repairs, the machine has to be pushed back up to 50 meters, which takes about 5 to 7 hours. This is the reason why the rescue operation is taking longer than it should.Ground-penetrating radar usedThe rescuers teams are using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to study the tunnel which clarified there are no heavy objects up to 5 meters inside the tunnel.Since November 12, 41 workers have been trapped inside the tunnel when the tunnel collapsed.
