For the fifth day, relief and rescue efforts are being carried out in the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse incident in an attempt to free the forty trapped workers. Early on November 12, a tunnel that was being built between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed. The sources state that the workers will be transported to Rishikesh AIIMS for treatment following the rescue operation.
“The installation work of the machines airlifted from Delhi has been done and the rescue operation work is underway,” Anshu Manish Khulko, National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) Tunnel Project Director told.
Dharam Singh, father of one of the labourers trapped inside, said that his son is also trapped inside the tunnel, adding that he spoke to his son and gave him courage.
“My 20-year-old son Vijay Kumar is trapped inside the tunnel. I spoke to my son for a little while and I gave him courage and assured him that everything would be fine and he would be brought out by this evening. Food and water are being provided to him in small quantities,” Dharam Singh said.
Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, examined the ongoing rescue and relief efforts in the tunnel that is being built in Silkyara, Uttarkashi, earlier on Wednesday. The Chief Minister’s Office reports that the CM has directed the state government to work with federal agencies and conduct rescue operations around-the-clock. According to a statement from the CMO, the administration has provided phone numbers for ongoing contact and communication with the families of the workers trapped in the tunnel.