The first visuals of workers trapped within the Uttarkashi tunnel have emerged

On Tuesday morning, the first images of workers trapped inside the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi appeared. On Monday, rescuers dug a six-inch-wide pipeline through the wreckage of the collapsed tunnel, allowing for the provision of increasing quantities of food as well as a live video of the 41 workers trapped for eight days. An endoscopic camera was used to collect the images, which were fed into the alternate 6-inch food pipeline. The camera is being used to count the trapped workers and analyse the tunnel’s interior geology. In the footage, workers wearing yellow and white helmets are seen getting food from the pipeline and conversing with one another. Anshu Manish Khalkho, Director of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) stated that cameras will be installed within the pipeline to monitor the workers’ progress.

REACTIONS OF FAMILY

The news came as a huge comfort to the families of the workers who were trapped within the tunnel. Yogendra Kisku, Virendra Kisku’s brother from Bihar’s Banka, stated, “Nitin Gadkari ji told us that the rescue would be completed in two and a half days.” Our hopes were crumbling. The good news is that photographs of workers are now available…Virendra isn’t in the picture, but our hopes are growing. We were unable to celebrate Diwali or Chhath.” Virendra’s wife also expressed an urge to speak with her husband. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami updated his followers on the status of the Uttarkashi tunnel rescue effort on X. “For the first time, images of workers trapped in a tunnel under construction in Silkyara, Uttarkashi, emerged.” “All of the workers are completely safe, and we are working hard to get them out safely as soon as possible,” he wrote on X.

TODAY IS LIKELY TO BE A VERTICAL DRILLING DAY.

Rescuers are expected to start vertical drilling on Tuesday afternoon to rescue the workers who have been trapped within the Uttarkashi tunnel for the past 10 days or more than 240 hours. A drone scan was tried twice at the tunnel site to investigate the gap between debris and the tunnel’s top. However, due to obstructions, it was unable to travel more than 28 metres above the rubble, and one drone was destroyed. Meanwhile, work on a protective cover for the pipe drilling equipment has begun. The pipe was pushed with an auger machine at the same time and began early on Tuesday.