Thai Cave Rescue Experts Consulted, Tunnel Op may Take 2-3 More Days

Uttarkashi: As the rescue operation to evacuate 40 labourers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand entered its fifth day on Thursday, Union Minister VK Singh visited the site and said it may take 2-3 more days for the task to be completed. The minister of state for road transport and highways said the rescue could be finished sooner, even as early as Friday, but the government is keeping a longer timeline in mind to account for unexpected difficulties. The minister’s statement came even as a faster and more powerful ‘American auger’ machine began work at Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi to push through a pipe that will be used to rescue the construction workers, who have been trapped in the tunnel since Sunday morning. He also confirmed that the rescue teams have spoken to foreign experts, including a firm that helped save 12 children and their football coach who were stranded in a cave in Thailand Addressing a press conference at the site, Mr Singh said in Hindi, “Our priority is to ensure the trapped workers are safe and are rescued at the earliest. Everyone, from the Prime Minister to the chief minister, is helping in every way they can. We faced some problems with the machine that was being used earlier and a faster, more powerful, machine has now been deployed.” “We are aiming to finish the operation in 2-3 days, It could happen earlier as well but we are keeping 2-3 days as the outer limit in case any other problems arise. All suggestions are being considered. We are taking the help of foreign experts as well as those from within India. I have spoken to the labourers. Their morale is high and they know that the government is making efforts to rescue them,” he added. On the other hand, more than four days since 40 construction workers have been trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand, but far from losing hope and letting their morale flag, they are eager to let their families know that they are okay. A supervisor from Uttarakhand assured his son not to worry on Tuesday, and another labourer was heard telling an official something along similar, lines in an audio clip that surfaced on Thursday. In the clip, an official is heard speaking to the construction worker, called Mahadev, in Odiya. The official asks Mahadev to tell his father and uncle that he is doing fine and they should not worry. To this, Mahadev says he is doing okay. When he is asked to repeat this, the labourer says, “I am fine, I am fine uncle.” On Tuesday, Gabbar Singh Negi from Kotdwar in Uttarakhand, who is a supervisor trapped in the tunnel, spoke to his son through the pipe that has been installed to ensure that oxygen reaches the trapped labourers. his son, Akash, had said, “My father works as a supervisor. I spoke to him today. He said he is helping everyone keep their morale high and asked me to tell everyone at home not to worry. My father said no one has been injured and they are getting adequate food and water. The engineers tell me they will be rescued in a few hours. I am hoping that will happen,” Mr Negi’s elder brother, Maharaj, who was also at the site, said his brother has been with the company, which is involved in the construction of the tunnel, for over 22 years. “My brother has a lot of experience and that is one of the reasons that the labourers who are with him are safe. The officials of the company said a pipe is being used to give food, water and tea to them,” said Maharaj. A portion of the 4.5-km under-construction tunnel on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway, which is meant to join Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi, collapsed early on Sunday morning. The tunnel is part of the Char Dham project. A faster and more powerful ‘American auger’ machine has been deployed to push a pipe through the debris and rescue the construction workers.

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