Efforts to rescue the 41 workers trapped behind the debris inside the Silkyara tunnel at Uttarkashi entered the 14th day on Saturday. Drilling has been halted since Friday evening after the auger machine encountered another hurdle.
The auger machine has repeatedly been facing issues as it bores its way head through the rubble. As of Friday, before the operations were halted, the machine had drilled up to 46.8 metres into the collapsed portion of the tunnel which is estimated to be 60 metres. According to reports, rescuers are now considering the option of manual drilling, but this could be more time-consuming.
According to ANI, manual drillers will cut through the rubble after the heavy Auger machine is removed from the pipeline. Meanwhile, experts are also exploring the option of vertical drilling. A final decision on vertical drilling will be taken on Saturday by Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.
Explaining why the US-made machine is being removed, officials told ANI that every time the Auger machine hits an obstacle, they have to roll back the machine by 50 metres, which takes another five-seven hours. “This is why rescue operation is taking longer than expected,” he said. With manual drilling, we can resolve issues manually even if we hit any hurdle and precious time will not be wasted, he added.
Earlier in Friday, senior officials said that the ground penetrating radar did not detected any significant metallic obstacles within the next five metres. Once the remaining portion of steel pipes are welded together and pushed in to reach the trapped men, rescuers will evacuate them with the help of wheeled stretchers.
Rescuers, however, cannot provide a timeline as to when the operation can be resumed or completed.