Last Updated: November 30, 2023, 11:44 IST
All the rescued workers were airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh by IAF aircraft Chinook. (Image: PTI)
Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue: The doctors said that the workers are healthy and could be discharged from under medical surveillance on Thursday
All the 41 rescued construction workers, who remained trapped inside the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand for almost 17 days are healthy and could be discharged from under medical surveillance on Thursday, doctors said.
The doctors, who are supervising the workers after they remained stranded inside the tunnel with no sunlight and proper oxygen, said their vitals were normal and they had undergone preliminary checkups.
“They are quite normal, I won’t even call them patients. They are feeling quite normal, they are behaving very normally. Their blood pressure, vitals, oxygenation – everything is normal. We have done some basic preliminary investigations just to look at their electrolytes and their other blood parameters,” Professor Meenu Singh, executive director and CEO, of AIIMS-Rishikesh was quoted by NDTV.
“The report will be coming soon and we will also be doing their ECG, just to see if there is any effect on the heart,” she said.
The top health expert also said that a basic psychological assessment will also be conducted with all the rescued workers to ensure that the stressful event does not have any long-term implications on their mental health.
Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Operation
All 41 trapped workers were rescued from the collapsed part of Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel on Tuesday night. The multi-agency rescue operation concluded successfully after 17 days of continuous efforts and hard work.
The pipes were pushed inside the tunnel once the final stretch of debris was cleared by rat miners, who were called to the site after the auger machine — stuck in the debris — was cut out using plasma cutters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was taking hourly updates on the intense rescue operation for the past 17 days, spoke to the rescued workers over the phone.
On social media, he lauded the successful operation, stressing that everyone involved in the mission has created an amazing example of humanity and teamwork.
