Voice 9, New Delhi Bureau: On the 15th day of the
rescue operations to save the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in
Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi, the vertical drilling is underway. Eight metres of drilling work have been completed. However,
the final phase of the rescue operations has been facing repeated snags due to
the American auger machine breaking down beyond repair after hitting a metal
grinder in the rubble. As a result, the agencies are now considering the
vertical drilling method after the horizontal drilling using the American auger
failed.
Fortunately, only 10% of the
tunnel rubble is left to be drilled, and experts have detected that only about
10–12 meters of drilling are required, with no metal obstruction causing a snag
in the rescue operations. If the vertical drilling method fails, the agencies
will resort to manual drilling, which is their last option. Although manual
drilling will have fewer risks, it will take another 18–24 hours to complete,
making it less efficient.
Photo: ANI
