31 metres of vertical drilling done

Vertical drilling from above the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel has been done up to 31 metres, former BRO DG Harpal Singh said on Monday at the site of the rescue operation.

A total of 86 metres has to be drilled vertically to prepare an escape passage for the 41 workers trapped for the last 15 days. Pipes of 1.2 metres in diameter have to be laid vertically through the top of the tunnel by this method adopted as a second option.

Preparations are also underway to start horizontal drilling inside the main tunnel manually, he said. Rescuers need to manually dig 10 to 12 metres through the rubble after the auger machine broke down.

“Frames of 800-mm diameter pipes have been prepared. We will move ahead by half a metre to one metre gradually. If all goes well and no obstacles are encountered a 10-metre stretch can be covered in 24-36 hours,” he said. (PTI)