40 Feared Trapped As Under-construction Tunnel Collapses In Uttarakhand, Rescue Still Underway,Dehradun-Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand, Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse News Live Updates, November 14: Rescue operations continued in Uttarkashi on Tuesday morning, as rescuers at the under-construction tunnel collapse site began the process of inserting large-diameter mild steel pipes through rubble using an auger machine, officials said. The 40 workers who have been trapped in the collapsed tunnel for two days now are safe and being provided with food, water and oxygen, authorities further assured.

The pipes will be pushed in using the horizontal drilling equipment to create an escape passage for the workers, officials added. Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha, who visited the tunnel on Monday, had said the trapped labourers could be rescued by Tuesday night or Wednesday.

The Uttarakhand government, meanwhile, has constituted a six-member expert committee to probe the accident. Rescue operations at the tunnel, which was being built to connect Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi district, commenced on Sunday. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with police and local administration personnel, swung into action as soon as they were informed of the accident, said Superintendent of Police (Uttarkashi) Arpan Yaduvanshi. The operation involves two JCBs and a Poclain machine being used to remove debris inside the 13-metre-wide tunnel. An escape passage is being created to reach the trapped workers, and the distance to reach those trapped is approximately 60 meters.