Attempts are being made again today to rescue the workers trapped at the Silkyara tunnel site. The drilling of the rescue corridor has been delayed by equipment failures.
According to Uttarkash district officials, the preparations for the rescue operation are in the final stages.
The way out for 41 men has been complicated several times. The US-made auger brought to the tunnel site did not work properly in horizontal excavation attempts. Now they are trying to drill the escape shaft in a vertical direction.
It is planned to place a steel pipe in the shaft, along which the men could be lifted to safety with harnesses.
According to drilling experts, the ground must be drilled 10-12 meters. There are no more metal structures in the way of the drill to prevent digging.
If vertical drilling cannot be done mechanically, the soil is removed by manpower. Manual digging is safer than drilling, but it is estimated to last 24 hours. According to the current plan, the tunnel workers would be brought to the surface today.
Watch a video from the accident site here.
Reuters