Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Rescue operation on hold after snag in machine

The labourers have been trapped in the tunnel since November 12. The experts now planned to do drilling from above and side of the tunnel also. So far only 25 metres of drilling had been done, the officials said.

Lucknow: Attempts to rescue 40 labourers who were trapped after the collapse of a portion of an under construction tunnel on the Yamunotri (origin of river Yamuna) National Highway in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district was halted after the machine being used for drilling developed snag on Friday evening.

The labourers have been trapped in the tunnel since November 12 and all attempts to rescue them have so far not succeeded.

According to the sources another machine has been brought to the spot and the work of drilling would commence very soon. Drilling was halted after a cracking sound from the machine, sources said.

Sources said that the experts now planned to do drilling from above and side of the tunnel also. So far only 25 metres of drilling had been done, the officials said.

Sources said that a total of 41 labourers were trapped inside the tunnel. Earlier the officials of the company which was undertaking the work of construction of the tunnel had said that 40 labourers were stuck inside. Sources said that one Deepak Kumar, a resident of Bihar's Muzaffarpur district was also among the trapped labourers.

As many as 41 labourers from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Assam were trapped after a portion of the tunnel which caved in on Sunday. The spot was 200 metres away from the entry of the tunnel toward Silkyara. 

The tunnel, which was 4.5 kilometre long was being constructed from Silkyara to Dandalgaon on the Yamunotri National Highway under the Char Dham Road project. The tunnel would reduce the distance from Uttarkashi to Yamunotri by around 26 kilometres.