Uttarakhand tunnel rescue ops: Families of 2 trapped Assam workers await their return

The families of two persons from Assam, who have been trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand, are awaiting their return, even as the rescue operations have made significant progress hinting that the trapped workers would be rescued soon. 

Both the persons hail from the Kokrajhar district in Assam. Since the last 16 days, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been constantly monitoring the well-being of the workers' families in Assam. 

Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister through DC (Kokrajhar) have been in regular contact with the respective families and the authorities in Uttarakhand, even as the families await the return of the two workers. 

The rescue operation to help the 41 workers trapped inside the collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarkashi reached the breakthrough point on Tuesday, hours after rat-hole mining experts were called in to undertake manual drilling through the rubble. Some workers were rescued from the tunnel, authorities at the spot said. However, an official confirmation to the same was yet awaited.

Stretchers, ambulances and mattresses were taken inside the tunnel, while a team of NDRF personnel could be seen at the entrance of the Silkyara tunnel.

A portion of the tunnel collapsed on November 12, blocking the exit of 41 workers inside.

By Monday evening, the last bit of the busted auger drilling machine had been cut out piece by piece and a steel pipe inserted further into the partially complete escape passage. Simultaneously, vertical drilling from above the tunnel, which was underway for a total of 86 metres, as of Tuesday morning, had briefly stopped by noon today.