Landslide hinders tunnel rescue, 40 laborers trapped for more than 70 hours

The labourers trapped inside the tunnel in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand could not be rescued even after 70 hours as a landslide near the incident site, hindered the pace of the rescue operation.

The officials involved in the rescue operation tried to deliver food and oxygen to the trapped workers through steel piles amidst the debris inside the tunnel. But due to the landslide that occurred on Tuesday night, they were forced to remove the machine. However, efforts to supply food and essential materials to the workers are being resumed.

The relief and rescue team is trying to make a path for the trapped workers with the help of the drilling machine so that the workers can get out with its help. Officials associated with the rescue team said that up to 21 meters of debris has been removed but still 19 meters remains to be cleared.

Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela had earlier told reporters that the trapped laborers could be rescued today.

After visiting the accident site on Tuesday evening, he had said that if everything goes as per plan, the trapped laborers will be rescued by Wednesday. In an update, the State Disaster Response Force said work is underway on installing a new drilling machine.

A team of more than 200 people from National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, BRO and National Highways are running rescue operations 24 hours a day. Oxygen is being supplied to the workers through pipes. Food and water are also being given.

In a video of the incident, huge piles of concrete are seen blocking the tunnel, twisted metal rods from its broken roof are buried in the debris, which is creating more difficulties for the rescue workers. . The workers trapped in this debris are mostly from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.