Uttarkashi tunnel rescue ops: Families of trapped Assam workers pray for their safe return

Even as all eyes are on the efforts to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand, the families of two trapped workers hailing from Assam are praying for their safe return. 

The families of Ram Prasad Narzary and Sanjay Basumatary, both of whom live in Kokrajhar district, are waiting with bated breath as they are awaiting the good news of the final rescue of the trapped workers. 

People from both the families have been frequenting the local Shiva temple, offering prayers for the rescue of their kin along with the other trapped workers. 

"Today we have recieved good news that they may finally come out. Today I offered prayers and my husband as well as everyone trapped there gets rescued. Today I visited the Shiva Temple in the morning and offered prayers so that my husband comes out safely and returns home at the earliest," said Ram Prasad Narzary's wife.

"We have got good news today. My elder brother would probably be rescued today evening. I went to the SHiva temple today morning and offered my prayers," said Sanjay Basumatary's sister. 

The operation to rescue 41 trapped workers in a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi entered its final stage on Tuesday and will soon enter the evacuation phase where workers, who have been trapped inside the tunnel for 17 days, will be brought out of the tunnel one by one.

The evacuation of each person will take 3-5 minutes, according to Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retired), a member of the National Disaster Management Authority.

Speaking on the operation, he further said, "It is estimated that it will take 3-5 minutes to evacuate each of the 41 persons. The entire evacuation is expected to take 3-4 hours. Three teams of NDRF will go in the tunnel to organise the evacuation. SDRF will provde support. Paramedics will also go inside the tunnel at the time of evacuation."

However, he highlighted that "no premature announcements are to be made" and that they were working at a pace to ensure the safety of the workers.

In preparation of the workers' rescue, teams of the National Disaster Response Force, carrying mattresses and stretchers, were seen entering the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel. Several ambulances too entered the tunnel.

Rescue workers -- specialised rat miners brought in to carry out manual drilling -- managed to dig through the last few metres of rubble Tuesday morning.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached the rescue site Tuesday afternoon and said that the work of inserting the pipe inside the tunnel is complete and all the workers will be rescued soon.

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.