Tunnel Collapse: Setback in rescue ops

Uttarkashi: The efforts to rescue 40 labourers trapped in an under-construction tunnel in Uttarkashi, which collapsed Sunday morning, hit another roadblock on Friday after the new high-capacity machine could not drill further as it got lifted continuously and the bearings of the machine were damaged.

Following this, the machine was anchored onto the platform. Working overnight with the new machine from New Delhi, rescue workers by Friday afternoon drilled up to 24 metres through the rubble, inching closer to the 40 labourers trapped in the tunnel. The workers need to drill up to 60 metres to insert 800 mm and 900 mm diameter pipes – one after the other — till an escape passage is created.