Uttarkashi: Pipes have been inserted up to 52 metres through the rubble at Silkyara tunnel, where efforts are on to rescue the 41 trapped workers, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told reporters on Tuesday.
“Earlier it was at 51 metres. It was pushed one metre further in my presence. It will be pushed two metres more to 54 metres after which one more pipe will be laid,” he said, adding that breakthrough point is 57 metres.
Twelve rat-hole mining experts are involved in the horizontal excavation through the last 10 or 12-metre stretch of debris of the collapsed portion of the under-construction tunnel, which is an integral part of the central government’s ambitious Char Dham all-weather road project.
The first visuals of manual drilling inside the Silkyara tunnel were released by news agency ANI this morning.
Micro tunnelling expert Chris Cooper said three metres of manual drilling has been done so far and about 5-6 metres is left. “It went very well last night. We didn’t have any obstacles last night. It is looking very positive.”
Vertical drilling from above the hill is simultaneously going on at the site. Around 43 metres of the 86 metres needed have been drilled and the operation would take another 40-50 hours to complete. Rescuers hope to pull out workers through this one-metre-wide shaft when it breaks through the top of the tunnel below, by Thursday. Another eight-inch wide shaft being drilled from a nearby point has reached about 75 metres down, reports said.
“The drilling along the top of the mountain is coming along perfectly. In the tunnel, it is coming along very well. So, I feel good…The mountain has told us one thing, that is to be humble…41 men, home safe and then you will be reporting the most extraordinary thing..,” International Tunneling Expert, Arnold Dix, told ANI.
Comments are closed.