Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Rescue ops come to a halt again – Top updates 

Shortly after drilling recommenced on Friday, the auger encountered another snag, thought to be a metallic object, causing a delay in the rescue operation.

The rescue operation to save the 41 trapped workers in the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse incident faced another hurdle last evening as drilling was halted once more.

Here are top updates on Uttarkashi tunnel collapse:

• In an earlier press conference, the senior officials had announced that only 10-12 metres of drilling remained before reaching the stranded workers, confirming that ground-penetrating radar had not detected any significant metallic obstacles within the next five metres. 

• On Saturday, another drilling machine was brought to the site to try and bore through the top of the Silkyara tunnel to reach the trapped construction workers.

• As the drilling bores its way forward to rescue the workers six-metre sections of steel pipe are welded together and pushed into the narrow tunnel passage. Once the steel chute is in place, rescuers will utilise wheeled stretchers to safely evacuate the workers through the newly created tunnel.

• Rescue workers on Friday evening said that the drill bit was being withdrawn through the passage carved by the drilling machine. Meanwhile, there were two setbacks within two days have dealt a blow to anxious relatives camped outside the tunnel for several days. 

• Before the rescue ops were paused, 46.8 metres of the 800-millimetre-wide steel pipe had been inserted into the drilled passageway in the collapsed section of the tunnel estimated to be around 60 metres long. The six-inch-wide tube, a vital artery connecting the trapped workers to the outside world and their lifeline for food and other essentials, has reached a distance of 57 metres.

• According to news agency PTI, Garhwal Range Inspector General KS Nagnyal assured that arrangements have been put in place to swiftly transport the rescued workers to medical centres under a secure police escort through a dedicated "green corridor.”

• The NDRF also conducted a mock drill at the collapse site. An NDRF jawan ventured into the narrow escape passage, carefully manoeuvring a wheeled stretcher tethered to a rope. The jawan confirmed that there was ample space for movement and that breathing was not an issue.

• Moreover, 41 ambulances remain on standby at the tunnel’s entrance, ready to wrisk the workers away to the Chinyalisaur Community Health Centre, A designated ward has also been set up with 41 oxygen-equipped beds, prepared to provide each worker with prompt medical care.

• Officials said the workers are mentally stable and physically fit despite being trapped for nearly two weeks. "They are adequately clothed and when we speak to them, they say they will walk out on their own. That's the kind of mental strength they have," an official said. 

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