Workers prepare an auger during a rescue operation after a portion of an under-construction tunnel collapsed in Uttarakhand. (Photo: PTI)
A new American machine is anticipated to arrive in Uttarkashi within the next few hours. Upon its arrival, an Indian Air Force C130 Hercules aircraft will land at an airstrip located approximately 30-35 kilometers away from the incident site.
A fresh landslide on Tuesday obstructed ongoing efforts to insert steel pipes through the rubble of the collapsed tunnel to save 40 trapped laborers, who have been under the debris for two days.
The falling debris caused injuries to two rescue workers, prompting their immediate transfer to the makeshift hospital established at the site.
VIDEO | Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: “A new machine will arrive here today (to assist in rescue operation). The equipment that came yesterday didn’t work because of some technical issues. The new machine will arrive here in a helicopter,” says an NDRF official. pic.twitter.com/XCFYT9N6Ec— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 15, 2023
Even though the drilling process started at 10pm on Tuesday, however, the auger machine utilized initially failed to achieve the desired outcomes as it lacked the capability to navigate through the debris-laden terrain.
To cut through the debris, an alternative machine, the American Auger, has been requisitioned from Delhi. This advanced machinery boasts superior capabilities and is capable of drilling at a speed of 5 meters per hour.
The American auger is anticipated to arrive in Uttarkashi within the next few hours. Upon its arrival, an Indian Air Force C130 Hercules aircraft will land at an airstrip located approximately 30-35 kilometers away from the incident site.
Subsequently, the machinery will be loaded onto trucks and transported to the designated location.
