LIVE | Silkyara tunnel collapse: All 41 trapped workers rescued; PM Modi salutes their courage
The breakthrough came after rat-miners, who were brought in on Monday evening, manually dug the last stretch.
Finally, that most-awaited moment has arrived.
All 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand were rescued have been rescued.
Rescue workers pulled out all 41 workers late Tuesday (November 28) in a multi-agency rescue operation that hovered between hope and despair for almost 17 days.
Union Minister V K Singh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami welcomed the workers as National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) men brought them out through a steel chute that lined a 60-metre passage.
An ambulance with the first of the 41 workers left the mouth of the tunnel around 8 pm, about an hour after a group of rat-hole mining experts dug through the last stretch of rubble.
There was hugging and cheers as the ordeal ended. Outside the tunnel, some people chanted “Har Har Mahadev” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.Ambulances which had lined up at the tunnel ferried the workers to a community health centre where a special 41-bed ward had been set up.
Before this, the workers were given a quick medical checkup as they emerged from the steel pipe. CM Dhami said no worker was in a critical situation. But the labourers will be kept under medical observation for some time before being sent home, he said. He said the youngest of the worker was rescued first.
A portion of the tunnel on the Char Dham route collapsed on November 12, blocking the exit of the workers who were inside. Food, medicines and other essentials were sent to them through a six-inch pipe pushed through the rubble of the collapsed portion.
Over the phone, Jharkhand’s Sunil, who was camping in Silkyara, spoke to PTI on the rescue of his brother Anil.
"Finally, God heard us. My brother could be rescued. I am with him in an ambulance on the way to hospital," he said in a choked voice.
As the rescue appeared imminent earlier in the day, families stationed in Silkyara were allowed inside the tunnel with their belongings – so that they could travel with their loved ones to the medical centre.
PM lauds workers' courage
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the relief workers. “Everyone involved in the mission has created an amazing example of humanity and teamwork," he posted on X.
"It is a matter of great satisfaction that these friends of ours will meet their dear ones after a long wait," he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he saluted the grit of the trapped workers for facing such a challenging situation for so long.
Live Updates
- 28 Nov 2023 3:43 PM IST
NDRF, medical personnel on standby
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and emergency medical personnel with stretchers are now on standby to enter the tunnel and work their way into the collapsed cavern.
First a single NDRF personnel will crawl down the pipe to assess the condition of the trapped men and begin the process of bringing them out. The workers will be brought out one-by-one on a specially-modified stretcher that will be pushed down the rescue pipe and pulled up manually by the rescuers. A temporary medical centre has been set up at the mouth of the tunnel, where each worker will be examined and given first aid, if needed, before they are prepped for transport in the ambulances.
- 28 Nov 2023 3:36 PM IST
'Rescued workers will be brought to AIIMS Rishikesh if...'
As Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation enters final stage, AIIMS Rishikesh Assistant Professor Dr Narinder Kumar says, "The rescued workers will be brought here only if medical treatment requirements cannot be met in Uttarkashi District hospital. At AIIMS Rishikesh, there are 20 beds in Trauma Centre and a few ICU beds. If the workers are brought here, they can be given good medical care. A team of doctors has been constituted to be sent to Uttarkashi, if ordered by the state government."
- 28 Nov 2023 3:33 PM IST
CM Dhami at rescue site to greet workers
MOS Gen (retd) VK Singh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami enter the tunnel. 41 garlands also taken inside the tunnel to welcome the workers once they come out.
- 28 Nov 2023 3:31 PM IST
PM Modi calls Chief Minister Dhami
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday once again called Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and took information about the relief and rescue work of the workers trapped in the tunnel in Silkyara.
- 28 Nov 2023 3:27 PM IST
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. - 28 Nov 2023 3:07 PM IST
#WATCH | Family members of the trapped workers who are expected to be rescued soon from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi say, "We are happy that they will be rescued soon. We will welcome them in a nice way. We had told them that the rescue team would reach them soon." pic.twitter.com/sRmEz5Dp64
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2023
