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Rescue efforts have been on strong since Sunday am in the Silkyara Tunnel Crisis in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, where 40 workers are trapped within a collapsed tunnel. While authorities strive nonstop to free individuals trapped in the dangerous position, the events taking place deserve immediate attention.
What took place?
A landslide near the Silkyara tunnel on Sunday caused a
portion of it to collapse, trapping forty laborers who were building it.
The tunnel collapsed as a result of the landslide's enormous
debris falling against it. The piles of rubble cut off the oxygen supply to the workers.
None of the men were hurt, according to officials, despite
being stuck 200 meters down the tunnel.
In order to install a pipe that would enable the trapped guys
to crawl out of the tunnel, rescue personnel had excavated 24 of the 60 meters
of debris as of Friday afternoon.
Col. Deepak Patil, the man in charge of rescue operations,
stated on Friday that "if the work continues at this rate, it will take
another 40-48 hours to rescue the workers.""
What is this passageway?
The federal government's ambitious $1.5 billion (£1.2 billion)
highway project, which includes the tunnel in Uttarkashi district, aims to
improve access to well-known pilgrimage destinations in Uttarakhand. Some of
the holiest places for Hindus are found in the mountainous state, which is home
to multiple Himalayan peaks and glaciers.
The goal of this 4.5 km (2.7 mi) tunnel is to connect Yamunotri, one of the four most important Hindu pilgrimage sites in the Himalayas, to the outside world in all weather conditions.It is expected to reduce the 26 km (16 miles) of travel time between Uttarkashi and Yamunotri town.
As the beginning of the Himalayan Char Dham Yatra pilgrimage,
which passes through Gangotri and Kedarnath before arriving at the temple town
of Badrinath, thousands of people gather at the Yamunotri temple each year.
Given the area's delicate ecology, environmental specialists have expressed worries about the construction. The need for geological studies prior to tunnel alignment in close proximity to the Himalayas is something that geologist Navin Juyal stressed. In an interview with The Hindu, he said, "Given the fragility of this area, a thorough geological assessment should have come before the construction." To maintain sustainable development practices, it is imperative that such environmental nuances are brought to the attention of the authorities."
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The federal government gave its approval for the tunnel's
construction in 2018
Who are the ensnared individuals?
Migrant laborers from northern and eastern Indian states make
up the majority of the workers stuck in the tunnel.
According to official reports, the 40 workers who are involved are distributed across different states: eight from Uttar Pradesh, five from Odisha, four from Bihar, three from Bengal, two from Assam, two from Uttarakhand, and one from Himachal Pradesh. The Jharkhand government has sent a three-person team to assist rescuers in their efforts in reaction to the event. Sharman Batra, a 21-year-old worker, is notable among his peers for being one of the few who saw debris falling from the tunnel roof on Sunday morning.
He managed to escape together with a few other laborers,
including Anand Tudu, 24, Santosh Pandit, 40, and Pem Yadav, 29, before a
section of the tunnel collapsed and separated them from the other forty guys
who were still within.
They are currently waiting for their companions outside.
Mr. Batra communicated his emotional concern by saying, "It's a disheartening and saddening situation." He said, "I find it hard to eat; the depression is overwhelming." Mr. Batra and his coworkers are unwavering in their dedication to the ongoing rescue attempts, even in the face of their families' financial support for their departure and their families' insistence that they put their safety first. They refuse to leave until all of their coworkers who are stuck in the tunnel have been rescued.
In what way are the laborers in the tunnel surviving?
Using walkie-talkies, the authorities said they were able to
get in touch with the guys who were stuck on Sunday night.
The trapped men are being given oxygen, food (chickpeas, dry fruits, almonds, and puffed rice), and water through a conduit that was installed to provide water to the tunnel for construction.
According to RCS Pawar, the chief medical officer of
Uttarkashi district, "the food items are providing them with enough
calories and it can help them for up to nine days." This was stated to
Reuters.
According to officials, medications for fever, headaches, and
nausea have been given to the employees via pipes.
Concerned about their relatives' health, some workers'
families revealed their worries to the Media.
According to reports, a six-bed hospital has been established
next to the tunnel, and other hospitals are reportedly on standby.
What is the plan for rescue?
In order to make room for a pipe that the guys can use to
crawl out of the tunnel, the plan calls for drilling through the rubble.
To lay the line, officials said they had to bore through 60
meters of rubble. At first, they thought the rescue effort would be finished by
Tuesday or Wednesday evening.
According to Ashok Kumar, the chief of Uttarakhand police,
"natural obstacles" made it more difficult for the rescuers to
approach them, which hindered the drilling pace.
A new piece of equipment, a strong horizontal drill with an
augur or drill bit, was transported in three sections by military aircraft on
Wednesday night and put together near the scene of the disaster.
The goal of the new drill was to expedite the rescue
procedure. To allow the trapped guys to crawl through, workers are excavating a
hole that is large enough to accommodate a metal pipe with a diameter of 900
mm.
To ensure that the rescue effort doesn't stop, officials say a
backup equipment would be transported on Saturday from the state of Madhya
Pradesh in central India.
According to Col. Deepak Patil, the 400-meter-thick inner lining of the tunnel is incredibly large.
