Uttarkashi: The ongoing rescue operation for the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarkashi continued on Tuesday, with rat-hole mining experts employing manual drilling techniques through the debris. The collapsed tunnel has been a site of intense efforts since the auger drilling machine, which was initially used for excavation, became stuck in the rubble on November 24.
As of Monday evening, the remnants of the damaged auger machine had been meticulously removed, and a steel pipe was inserted into the partially constructed escape passage. Simultaneously, rat-hole mining experts, numbering 12 in total, engaged in horizontal drilling through the final 10 to 12 meters of debris within the collapsed section of the under-construction tunnel on Uttarakhand’s Char Dham route. The horizontal drilling effort has covered a distance of 51.5 meters so far.
The procedure of rat-hole mining, characterized by small groups of miners excavating coal through narrow burrows, is inherently risky and controversial. In this context, the manual drilling operation was initiated after the auger machine malfunctioned. To expedite the rescue, officials also initiated vertical drilling from above the tunnel, reaching a depth of 86 meters by Tuesday morning.
The final leg of the horizontal drilling, aimed at creating a passage for the trapped workers, involves a manual approach. Workers equipped with drills and gas-cutters are navigating the escape passage to address obstacles such as iron girders. The completion of this phase is crucial as rescuers plan to extract the workers through a one-meter-wide shaft created from above the tunnel, with expectations of breakthrough by Thursday.
Amidst the challenging rescue efforts, visuals depict the rat-hole mining experts meticulously removing debris from the tunnel. The collaborative approach of employing both manual and vertical drilling techniques underscores the urgency and complexity of the operation to save the lives of those trapped within the tunnel.
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