Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Attempt of Horizontal drilling, feeding trapped men go parallel on day 10 of rescue operation

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India], November 21 : The rescuers on the 10th day at the Silkyara tunnel site here attempted 'horizontal drilling' and fed trapped workers with solid cooked food simultaneously on Tuesday.
A total of five agencies-- ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL-- have been assigned specific responsibilities to evacuate the 41 labourers trapped for 10 days in the 2-km-built portion of the under-construction structure following a landslide.
Despite the rescuers achieving a breakthrough on Monday evening by laying a 6-inch-wide pipe, the trapped men were only provided fruits such as bananas, oranges, and medicines today as Khichdi in cylindrical plastic bottles could not pass through the 53-metre-long alternative lifeline.
As per the Director of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), Anshu Manish Khulko, Khichdi and Dalia, as recommended by doctors, could not be delivered yesterday as something was stuck on the 6-inch pipe. "But now we have cleaned the pipe," he said, adding that today fruits like oranges, bananas and medicines were sent to the trapped workers.
Meanwhile, solid food items such as veg pulao and matar paneer were prepared for the workers for dinner.
Earlier in the day, Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, Member NDMA in a press briefing said that the efforts to rescue the trapped men are underway from five sides but the best possible method is the horizontal drilling from the Silkyara end of the tunnel.
As per the rescue plan, the 900 mm pipes will be pushed in using the horizontal drilling equipment to create an escape for the workers.
"The most focused effort is horizontal drilling through the Auger machine, which is being explored. It started working on November 16 and it has reached 21-22 metres," he said in a press briefing.
The collapse occurred on November 12 during the construction of a tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot, trapping 41 labourers due to a muck fall in a 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel.
The NDMA official said that on November 12, the tunnel caved in, trapping the 41 workers inside the 2 km-long portion of the tunnel. He said that the other Barkot side of the tunnel was already closed, as work on that side had not yet started.
"So that end is also closed. As a result, the workers are trapped between the cave-in and the other end (the Barkot side), which is yet to be accessed," Hasnain said.
"At present, different agencies, NDRF, ITBP, Army engineers, SDRF, fire and emergency services, Border Roads Organisation and other technical agencies of the Central government are working there," he said.
The NDMA member said that when a tunnel rescue takes place, it is a very serious and challenging effort.
"Around 3-4 international experts have also come to the site. The government has made sure that wherever we have knowledge of experts, those experts have flown in and are available for advice," he said.
The NDMA official said that a few families of the trapped men hailing from different states have been moved and accommodated in the local hotels near the site.
"Among the trapped labourers, two belong from Uttarakhand and Assam each, one from Himachal, eight from Uttar Pradesh, five each from Bihar and Odisha, three from West Bengal, and the most from Jharkhand (15)," he said, adding that most of the state governments have sent their representatives at the site.
Later, Additional Secretary Technical, Road and Transport Mahmood Ahmed said that the time from tonight is the 'most crucial' and that if everything goes right, some 'good news' will come up in the next 40 hours.
The official present at the collapse site said that now 800 mm-diameter pipes are being pushed instead of 900 mm with the telescoping method.
"From this morning on, we started the process of horizontal drilling. Four 900-mm-diameter pipes of 6 metres each were pushed to 21-22 metres last week before they hit an obstacle. Now we have decided that we will lay an 800-mm-diameter pipe through the telescoping method. We have started that work. After that, we will do further drilling inside it with the American Auger machine. For us, the entire day until tomorrow from tonight on is most important," the official said.
He said that out of the total 60-metre length of horizontal drilling from the Silkyara end, around 22-45 metres are rubble.
"Not only this, we are doing the horizontal drilling from the other (Barkot) side and the work has been assigned to Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDC)," he added.
"If everything goes right, we will come up with some 'good news' in the next 40 hours," Ahmed said, addressing a press briefing.
The official assisting in the rescue operations on the site said that through the 6-inch pipeline, the additional lifeline that was laid yesterday, a walkie-talkie was sent inside and communication was established with the trapped men. "We also got a video showing that all of them are in good mental and physical health," he said.
The rescue team on Monday evening managed to lay a 6-inch pipe through which solid food and mobile chargers were sent inside the collapsed section of the Silkyara Tunnel.
Earlier in the day, the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association president Arnold Dix, who has been roped in as part of the ongoing rescue efforts at the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse site, said that the 900 mm pipes pushing is the fastest means to get the men out.
"I think the team here have done a wonderful job. It's just fantastic. The 900 pipeline is one of the options. The 900 pipe which is there, which I've seen, and I'm going to go have another look at this morning. It's by far the best and fastest means to get the men, but it has its technical difficulties and that's why we're doing multiple rescue missions," Dix told ANI.
Earlier today, rescuers managed to insert an endoscopy camera into the tunnel and first visuals captured showed the 41 workers had ample space inside the tunnel for them to move about.
Visuals of workers trapped inside for the past 10 days emerged on Tuesday morning, has given new hope to worried relatives, some of whom are camping outside the site of the collapsed tunnel structure.