Fresh Landslide Hampers Rescue Operation of Labourers Trapped in Collapsed Tunnel  

Dehradun: A fresh landslide and technical snag hampered the rescue operation of 40 labourers trapped in an under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand for over 70 hours.

A landslide on Tuesday night forced personnel involved in the rescue operation to dismantle the machine used to drill passage through the debris and start work on the platform again.

Officials said around 21 metres of slab blocking the tunnel has been removed and a 19 metres passage is yet to be cleared.

New equipment is now being flown in from New Delhi to assist in the rescue operations.

The rescuers involved in the operation started removing the debris from the fresh landslide by JCB machines to again set the auger machine on a platform to push the large diameter pipes through the debris.

“The augur machine is facing a technical problem now, we have now asked for a new machine, said Devendra Patwal, Uttarkashi Disaster Disaster Management Officer (DDMO)

It’s been over 72 hours since the construction workers were trapped inside the tunnel after a portion of it fell at around 5:30 am on Sunday.

The rescue operation in the collapsed tunnel on Yamunotri Highway entered its fourth day on Wednesday. Workers have been trapped in the 4.5kilometres collapsed tunnel since 5.30 am on November 12 when the incident occurred.