Rescuers push pipe through tunnel debris to get trapped men out

Rescuers have managed to push a pipe through the debris to get out the 41 men trapped since a part of the 4.5km-long Silkyara-Barkot tunnel collapsed in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi 17 days ago. They can crawl through and begin getting the men anytime, officials said.

A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team will first go to the other side using the rescue pipeline with equipment such as gas cylinders and lights. If needed, a team of doctors will also be sent for a health check-up of the trapped men to ascertain their vitals. The trapped men would then be briefed about their rescue through the pipeline. They will lie down on wheel-fitted stretchers and be pulled to the other side using a rope. The men will be taken out one by one. The NDRF team will not leave the other side until all men are out.