Drilling was stopped on Thursday night after reaching the last section when the auger machine developed a problem
Photo: ANI
Authorities in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district believe the rescue mission to extract 41 workers buried under the debris of the collapsed construction is likely to conclude today, after 11 days of intense work and drilling down to a depth of 46.8 meters in the Silkyara tunnel.
“But they say the entire operation is akin to a “war,” and assigning a deadline for this effort would be inappropriate since it would just put more strain on the personnel, which is already working nonstop under difficult circumstances.
“A lot of specialists are speculating that they could be saved tonight or early tomorrow, but keep in mind that these operations resemble battles. There should be no timeframe assigned to these operations. We never know how the opponent would respond in a conflict. The geology of the Himalayas is against us here. At a news conference, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt. General (Rtd) Syed Ata Hasnain stated, “We are unsure of the angles from which the tunnel fell.”
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He made the point that it would be incorrect to confine the operation to a specific time frame and that it is crucial to ensure the safety of both the trapped individuals and the rescuers. “This work is difficult. The workers are under pressure to continue thinking that a rescue would take place within the next two hours. It’s incorrect, he continued.
Drilling was stopped on Thursday night after reaching the last section when the auger machine developed a problem.
The drilling will resume between 11 and 11:30 am. “Ground penetration radar study has shown that there is no metallic obstruction in the next 5 metres,” he stated.
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