Breakthrough in Silkyara Tunnel Rescue Efforts, Location Identified for Vertical Drilling

After 11 days of relentless efforts, a location for vertical drilling has been identified to rescue 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara Tunnel, which collapsed during construction. Anshu Manish Khulko, Director of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), provided updates on the ongoing rescue operation, stating that road work for vertical drilling on the hill above the tunnel is nearly complete.

More than 350 meters of road construction work has been accomplished, with the Border Roads Organization (BRO) constructing roads from both Silkyara and Barkot sides, both nearing completion.

A piling machine, previously hindered by narrow roads, has successfully reached the Silkyara tunnel site, boosting the rescue efforts. On Tuesday, rescuers attempted horizontal drilling while providing trapped workers with solid cooked food.

Five agencies, including ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL, have been assigned specific responsibilities for the evacuation operation. The 41 laborers have been trapped for 10 days in a 2-km-built portion of the under-construction tunnel following a landslide.

Despite achieving a breakthrough on Monday evening by laying a 6-inch-wide pipe, the trapped workers were only provided fruits such as bananas and oranges, along with medicines, as khichdi in cylindrical plastic bottles could not pass through the 53-meter-long alternative lifeline.

Tuesday night’s dinner for the trapped laborers included veg pulao, matar-paneer, and chapatis with butter, delivered through a food pipe inserted through the collapsed part of the structure.

The collapse occurred on November 12 during the construction of a tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot, trapping 41 laborers due to a muck fall in a 60-meter stretch on the Silkyara side.

On Monday evening, the rescue team successfully laid a 6-inch pipe through which solid food and mobile chargers were sent inside the collapsed section. On Tuesday morning, an endoscopy camera was inserted into the tunnel, revealing that the trapped workers had ample space to move about.

Visuals of the workers trapped inside for the past 10 days emerged on Tuesday morning, bringing new hope to worried relatives who have been camping outside the site of the collapsed tunnel structure. The ongoing rescue operation continues with increased optimism as vertical drilling plans progress.