Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue: Breakthrough Expected Soon As Drilling Crosses 52 Metres

Amid the ongoing efforts to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami informed that the pipes have been inserted up to 52 metres through the rubble at the tunnel. Earlier on Monday, a team of “rat-hole” mining experts joined the rescue operation as manual drilling and excavation horizontally using the rat-hole mining method started.

“The manner in which the work is ongoing, we hope that there will be a breakthrough very soon,” ANI quoted CM Pushkar Singh Dhami as saying on November 28. The CM also added that the trapped workers are safe, and the process of bringing them out will begin once the pipes are inserted. Pushkar Singh Dhami also said that the breakthrough point is 57 metres. NDTV reported that a team of 24 “rat-hole mining” experts is involved in the manual drilling process. The drilling process was initially conducted using a large auger machine. However, that got stuck in the rubble on Friday.

Rat Hole Mining is an extremely complicated process that involves digging very small tunnels, usually about 3–4 feet deep. After digging the pits, which are just wide enough for one person to fit into, the miner drops down into them using a rope and bamboo ladders. This process is considered extremely hazardous, and it is mainly used to extract coal. Officials are also working on the vertical drilling process. As per reports, this process has reached a depth of 36 metres out of the 86 metres required.

The tunnel that was meant to connect Silkyara to Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi collapsed partially on November 12. Oxygen and food are being supplied to 41 workers who are trapped inside the Uttarkashi tunnel. Various government agencies are working round the clock to rescue the trapped workers, and the Prime Minister’s Office is also monitoring the rescue operations.