Indian families pray for release of trapped tunnel workers
Published: 05:11 PM,Nov 22,2023 | EDITED : 09:11 PM,Nov 22,2023
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel interact with officials during the rescue operation for trapped constructions workers days after a section of the under construction Silkyara road tunnel collapsed in the Uttarkashi district of India's Uttarakhand state. - AFP
SILKYARA, India: Day after day the families have been waiting, praying their relatives trapped behind tonnes of debris in a collapsed Indian road tunnel for 11 days will escape safely.
As they watch the tunnel entrance, where bulldozers and excavators are busy as efforts to drill through the vast piles of tumbled earth, rock and concrete continue, they plan how they will celebrate when their loved ones are free. “The day they will come out of the tunnel, it will be the biggest, happiest day for us,” said Chanchal Singh Bisht, 35, whose 24-year-old cousin Pushkar Singh Ary is trapped inside.
A portion of the under-construction tunnel in the northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand collapsed on November 12.
In the distance, sparks fly from the tunnel entrance, where welders are fixing together metal tubes, which are then being driven into the earth to build a safe exit for the 41 men.
Initially fearing the worst, Bisht said he and his family had been reassured after he spoke to his cousin via radio on Tuesday. “The family was starting to worry, but after speaking to him, there is a sense of relief and hope that he will come out,” Bisht said.
The workers were seen alive for the first time on Tuesday, peering into the lens of an endoscopic camera sent by rescuers down a thin pipe through which air, food and water are being delivered. Bisht said the trapped men were in good spirits.
“They are brave... they are waiting for their rescue,” he said. “I could sense from his voice that he is fine. He said he is playing games and chatting with the others.”
The agency said they had drilled two-thirds of the way through debris, but operations have been repeatedly complicated by falling debris as well as repeated breakdowns of crucial heavy-drilling machines.
The giant earth-boring machine last week ran into boulders, and drilling was put on hold for more than three days after a cracking sound in the roof.
Bisht said authorities initially told them the men would be out in a day or two.
“Politicians and engineers came and gave us assurances but what can we do? We can only wait,” he said, offering sharp criticism of the early rescue efforts.
“They took it lightly,” he said. “I do not understand engineering or technical work but I do feel they were not proactive.”
Vikram Singh, 34, waiting outside near the tunnel entrance for his brother trapped inside, said he had spoken to him on Wednesday. — AFP
As they watch the tunnel entrance, where bulldozers and excavators are busy as efforts to drill through the vast piles of tumbled earth, rock and concrete continue, they plan how they will celebrate when their loved ones are free. “The day they will come out of the tunnel, it will be the biggest, happiest day for us,” said Chanchal Singh Bisht, 35, whose 24-year-old cousin Pushkar Singh Ary is trapped inside.
A portion of the under-construction tunnel in the northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand collapsed on November 12.
In the distance, sparks fly from the tunnel entrance, where welders are fixing together metal tubes, which are then being driven into the earth to build a safe exit for the 41 men.
Initially fearing the worst, Bisht said he and his family had been reassured after he spoke to his cousin via radio on Tuesday. “The family was starting to worry, but after speaking to him, there is a sense of relief and hope that he will come out,” Bisht said.
The workers were seen alive for the first time on Tuesday, peering into the lens of an endoscopic camera sent by rescuers down a thin pipe through which air, food and water are being delivered. Bisht said the trapped men were in good spirits.
“They are brave... they are waiting for their rescue,” he said. “I could sense from his voice that he is fine. He said he is playing games and chatting with the others.”
The agency said they had drilled two-thirds of the way through debris, but operations have been repeatedly complicated by falling debris as well as repeated breakdowns of crucial heavy-drilling machines.
The giant earth-boring machine last week ran into boulders, and drilling was put on hold for more than three days after a cracking sound in the roof.
Bisht said authorities initially told them the men would be out in a day or two.
“Politicians and engineers came and gave us assurances but what can we do? We can only wait,” he said, offering sharp criticism of the early rescue efforts.
“They took it lightly,” he said. “I do not understand engineering or technical work but I do feel they were not proactive.”
Vikram Singh, 34, waiting outside near the tunnel entrance for his brother trapped inside, said he had spoken to him on Wednesday. — AFP