Labourers Trapped in Silkyara Tunnel Close to Rescue After Over Two Weeks

Rescue worker have drilled through all the rock and debris to reach the 41 labourers trapped inside the three-mile Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand, northern India.

The men became trapped in the early hours of 12 November, when a landslide caused part of the tunnel to collapse. None of them was injured, and rescuers were soon able to contact them and send them supplies through a pipe.

The rescue operation, at first expected to last a few days, stretched on for over two weeks. It was delayed time and time again by technical problems, a lack of appropriate machinery, metallic obstructions in the debris, and another landslide which injured two of the rescue workers.

While the trapped labourers were reportedly in good condition, with electricity, food and water, some complained about fever, body aches, nausea and headaches, for which they received medication. The men also received board games and playing cards to “relieve stress”.

Silkyara Tunnel Rescue: the Last Stretch

On Tuesday, the ordeal is nearing its end. Twelve rat-hole mining experts were called to drill through the last stretch with hand-held tools. Despite reports earlier in the day that the breakthrough to the trapped workers had been made, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata clarified that was not the case.

However, the breakthrough is considered imminent, with the mood at the rescue site described as “upbeat”. Jamal Singh, the brother of trapped labourer Gabber Singh, told Press Trust India that “even, nature looks cheerful today

“We have been asked to keep our belongings rolled up and wait for further instructions,” he added.

Once the drilling is complete, a steel chute will be pushed through the passage, and the men will be taken out on stretchers one by one. Ambulances are reportedly lining up outside the tunnel, ready to transport the labourers to the community health centre in Chinyalisaur, about 18 miles from the Silkyara tunnel, where staff has prepared 41 oxygen-supported beds.

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