Last Updated on November 15, 2023 8: 04am
Guwahati: The rescue operations for the 40 labourers who have been trapped for the last 72 hours have started and the rescue team have initiated the process of inserting 800 and 900 mm large-diameter mild steel pipes through the rubble using an auger machine, officials have said.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
The pipes will be pushed in using the horizontal drilling equipment to create an escape passage for the workers, who are safe and are being provided with oxygen, water and light food items such as dry fruits, they said.
The rescue team have set a target of rescuing the trapped labourers by Wednesday, National Disaster Management Authority Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha said.
A part of the tunnel being built between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway caved in on Sunday morning after a landslide, according to officials.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
According to a list of the trapped workers issued by the District Emergency Operation Centre, 15 are from Jharkhand, eight from Uttar Pradesh, five from Orissa, four from Bihar, three from West Bengal, two each from Uttarakhand and Assam, and one from Himachal Pradesh.
Earlier on Tuesday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a meeting with senior government officials at his residence in Dehradun and issued directions that they should maintain constant coordination with the district administration, agencies and officials deployed on the spot.
A six-bed temporary hospital has been set up near the tunnel, and 10 ambulances with medical teams are stationed to provide immediate medical care to the trapped workers after their evacuation.