India’s bid to free 41 trapped workers enters third week
The Indian military on Sunday deployed specialized equipment as efforts to free 41 trapped workers entered their third week. The operation continues to drill in three directions after repeated setbacks.
The Indian Air Force on Sunday flew on its third rescue mission since the Silk Yala road tunnel under construction partially collapsed in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on November 12, and is “responsive.” announced.
Rescue officials said technicians were driving metal pipes horizontally through 57 meters (187 feet) of rock and concrete when they collided with metal girders and construction vehicles buried in the ground, leaving the area in the middle of nowhere. It was announced that a request was made to bring a superheated plasma cutter to the mountainous area.
A huge earth-moving excavator broke off just 9 meters from the breakthrough.
Plasma cutting will be used to remove a large broken earthworks excavation drill and metal blocking the horizontal route, after which drilling will continue by hand.
– Vertical shaft –
Thick metal girders in the rubble are blocking the route, making them difficult to remove using traditional oxyacetylene cutters from inside narrow pipes only wide enough for a person to crawl through.
The Air Force said the “critical” kits were provided by the government’s defense technology research arm, the Defense Research and Development Organization, but did not provide further details.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Saturday that a vertical excavation has started drilling 89 meters downward. This is a dangerous route over people in areas where collapse has already occurred.
Work has also begun on the other side of the road tunnel, with a much longer third route estimated to be around 480 meters long.
On Tuesday, workers were seen alive for the first time looking through the lens of an endoscope camera sent by rescue workers through the thin pipes that carry air, food, water and electricity.
Mr. Dhami said the men were “in good spirits” and that the trapped men’s families, many of whom are migrant workers from impoverished families from as far away as India, were able to call and provide basic assistance. A telephone exchange has been installed.
– “Difficult operation” –
Efforts have been painfully slow, complicated by falling debris and repeated excavator failures.
Hopes that the team was on the verge of making a breakthrough Wednesday were dashed. A government statement warned of “difficult Himalayan terrain.”
Indrajeet Kumar told the Times of India that talking to his brother Vishwajeet, one of the trapped workers, “brings me to tears.” Vishwajeet had questioned why he was still locked up despite reports saying he would be able to get out soon.
Senior relief official and retired general Syed Ata Hasnain called for “patience” on Saturday.
“A very difficult operation is underway,” he told reporters.
“When you do anything in the mountains, you can’t predict anything,” he added. “This situation is exactly like war.”
Source: guardian.ng