Uttarakhand tunnel rescue: After the auger machine is removed, manual drilling will start tomorrow

Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, provided an update on the Silkyara tunnel rescue operation on Saturday. The 14-day project was beset by unexpected setbacks at the final stretch when the auger machine malfunctioned once more. The chief minister added that he had spoken with the construction workers who had been stuck beneath the tunnel for the previous 13 days and that the auger machine should be removed by tomorrow morning. Manual digging will then start. “They are in good spirits. They told me they were getting food and doing well when I spoke with them,” the CM remarked.

“Don’t be alarmed about us. As Dhami stated, “Take your time and safely take us out of here,” the construction workers said to the CM.

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According to Pushkar Singh Dhami, a plasma cutter is being transported from Hyderabad to the location in order to cut the auger machine, which became stuck in the tunnel.

How is the auger machine doing? Why did it keep running into obstacles?

Four days after the under-construction tunnel caved in, trapping 41 workers inside, the US-made high-duty auger machine was put to use for earthwork at the Silkyara site on November 16. Since then, the device has encountered multiple issues while drilling through the debris to install pipes that will allow the trapped men to be rescued. Any metal object in the way causes the machine to shut off. Every time the auger machine encounters an obstacle, it must be pulled out of the tunnel.

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Drilling vertically or manually?

The rescuers stated that the mission had reached its conclusion as the operation picked up steam in the middle of this week. However, the auger machine faced more challenges in the last stage than anticipated, which complicated matters. The rescuers have not yet reached the trapped men, but the agencies are prepared with a post-rescue plan detailing how the workers will be swiftly placed onto stretchers and transported to ambulances parked outside.

Now that the auger machine is out of the picture, the experts are looking into alternative solutions, such as vertical escape passage creation through manual drilling.