Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Frustration grows as workers still trapped after 11 days

Rescuers are drilling through the rubble to insert a pipe through which workers can escape

Frustration is mounting among the family and friends of the 41 workers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand in India for 11 days.

Authorities are undertaking drilling work to rescue those stuck in the Silkyara tunnel in the town of Uttarkashi after a part of it collapsed believed to be due to landslide on November 12 but for families and friends it has been an agonising wait.

Chanchal Singh’s cousin Pushkar Singh Airy is one of the workers stranded in the tunnel.

The 24 year old from Champawat district in the state had been working at the site for two months when the tunnel roof caved in, leaving his family in despair.

“I spoke to him last evening,” Mr Singh told The National. "He sounds fine but he is frustrated. It has been 11 days. We are frustrated, his parents are worried. I am giving regular updates to his family.

“We know the authorities are working day and night and there is nothing we can do other than wait and watch."

Pushkar Singh Airy, 24, has been trapped in the tunnel in Uttarkashi since November 12. Photo: Chanchal Singh

He managed to speak to Mr Airy after authorities inserted a 15cm-wide pipe through the rubble on Tuesday in what authorities called a major “breakthrough”.

Authorities also inserted a microphone through the pipe for better communication with those trapped.

Previous communication had been taking place through a small pipe that was also being used to provide packaged food.

An endoscopic camera was also inserted through the pipe on Tuesday, capturing the first images of the workers inside the tunnel.

Mr Singh said his cousin had told him he was eating well.

"We cannot wait for him to come out of the tunnel," he added. "We saw his images. It was a relief. He seems to be doing fine. We want him and his colleagues to be safe. The day he leaves the tunnel would be the biggest day of our lives."

Part of the 4.5km Silkyara tunnel collapsed when a group of workers were moving out and others were going inside. It has since been blocked and emergency teams have been trying to drill up to 60 metres through the debris and insert a 90cm-wide pipe through which the workers could crawl out.

The entrance of the under-construction Silkyara road tunnel, where rescue efforts to reach the trapped workers continue. AFP

Shankar Vaidya is eagerly waiting outside the site to see three of this friends emerge from the tunnel.

Five of his friends, all migrant labourers from eastern state of Jharkhand, were working at the tunnel when Sukhram, Rajendra and Anil, aged 18 to 21, became trapped.

“Two friends had managed to come out of the tunnel but the other three got trapped after debris fell suddenly,” Mr Vaidya said. "They are all masons and helped with loading and unloading iron bars.

We are worried, but we are frustrated. It has been 11 days. People in our village are worried and are waiting for them to be rescued. They are asking us when they will come home. We are informing them that rescue work is under way.

Authorities on Wednesday said they had managed to drill up to 39 metres into the rubble and are now drilling from the other end of the tunnel at Barkot. They said they were expecting to rescue the workers within the next 24 hours.

“It is a matter of happiness for us that we are swiftly moving forward but unless we reach 50 metres, we cannot be confident,” said Mahmood Ahmed, director of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, one of five agencies involved in the rescue operation.

"There is a chance to encounter boulders and big rocks.

“We are also drilling from the other side of the tunnel and drilled about 8 metres. If all goes well and there is no obstacle, we will hopefully have good news by tonight or tomorrow morning.”

The workers have been provided with essential items including undergarments, towels, medicine and toothbrushes through the pipe. A psychiatrist has been speaking to them, Mr Ahmed said.