Finance
All 41 men trapped underground in a tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara were rescued late Tuesday, completing a frantic 17-day multi-agency operation that relied, in the final stretch, on the banned manual “rat-hole”-mining technique used after high-tech machines, or augers, failed to drill through the nearly 60 metres of rock that threatened to bury the workers.
It took some time for each worker to re-acclimate to surface conditions, where the temperature is currently around 14 degrees Celsius.
The workmen were lowered manually down a two-metre-wide pipe placed into holes excavated into the slope on specially modified stretchers. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was present and hugged the workers when they came out.
Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, or NDRF, had initially gone down the pipe to check the trapped men’s conditions and lead them through rescue procedures. Each worker was tied to a stretcher, which was then painstakingly dragged up 60 metres of rock and rubble.
The ambulances – 41 of them, one for each worker – left the tunnel site in groups with the rescued workers for the emergency medical facilities built up in Chinyalisaur, about 30 kilometers away.
As soon as the first workers emerged from the tunnel, rescue workers and those on the scene greeted them with garlands, candy, and cheering. Families of the captive workers delighted after finally seeing their loved ones for the first time in 17 days. The rescued workers then spoke to their families back home.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in praising the courage and patience of the trapped workers and their families and the bravery and determination of the rescue personnel.
“The success of the rescue operation of our labourer brothers in Uttarkashi is making everyone emotional. I want to say to those trapped in the tunnel that your courage and patience are inspiring everyone. I wish you all well and good health. It is a matter of great satisfaction that after a long wait, our friends will now meet their loved ones. The patience and courage these families have shown in this challenging time cannot be appreciated enough,” the PM wrote on X.
उत्तरकाशी में हमारे श्रमिक भाइयों के रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन की सफलता हर किसी को भावुक कर देने वाली है।
टनल में जो साथी फंसे हुए थे, उनसे मैं कहना चाहता हूं कि आपका साहस और धैर्य हर किसी को प्रेरित कर रहा है। मैं आप सभी की कुशलता और उत्तम स्वास्थ्य की कामना करता हूं।
यह अत्यंत…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 28, 2023
“I also salute the spirit of all the people associated with this rescue operation. Their bravery and determination gave new life to our labourer brothers. Everyone involved in this mission has set an amazing example of humanity and teamwork,” he said.
Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, posted a video message on X. “Thanks to everyone involved in the Silkyara Tunnel rescue operation,” he wrote.
For the rescue, extensive preparations were undertaken. An Air Force Chinook helicopter was on standby for emergencies, and a green corridor was built to transport workers to the Chinyalisaur hospital.
Last night, “rat miners” – laborers who drill narrow shafts as part of a primitive and currently illegal method of coal extraction – were brought in to manually dig the rocks in the 12-metre last stretch after an American Augur drill had to be withdrawn after its blades became fouled up by debris and iron rods.
