‘Pray to god, oxygen supplied through debris’: Rescue operation underway to save 40 workers in Uttarkashi tunnel

livemint.com:

Uttarkashi collapsed on Sunday. The tunnel had collapsed early on Sunday after a group of workers were going while their replacements were coming in. A state disaster response official, Durgesh Rathodi told news agency AFP, "About 40 to 41 workers are trapped inside.

Oxygen is being supplied through the debris, but more rubble is coming down as rescuers try to remove the obstruction." Rathodi noted that a message has been sent to the trapped workers through an oxygen pumping tube to reassure them that every effort is being made to ensure their safety. She said no response to the message has been received so far. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami while sharing the news on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “News of breakage of a part of the tunnel under construction between Silkyara-Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi has been received.

Rescue operation is being conducted by the teams of SDRF, NDRF and local police administration to evacuate all the workers safely. After talking to the District Magistrate in this matter, instructions have been given to speed up the rescue mission." “I pray to God for the safe exit of all the employees trapped in the tunnel." CM Dhami wrote. Earlier on Sunday, Mritunjay Kumar, the loader operator, while speaking to ANI said that his team is removing the debris using excavators and other heavy machines.

"The work of mucking is underway. Mucking is being done with the loader & excavator. Approximately 30-35 meters of the tunnel have been broken.

The incident happened around 5:30 am. We have information about around 40-45 people being trapped. Everyone is safe," he added.