Uttarakhand: ‘Auger machine’s parts stuck, tunnel blocked’; official explains rescue hurdles

The rescue operation of the 41 workers trapped inside a partially collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, will take longer than expected due to its complex nature, senior officials said on Saturday.

The rescue got delayed as a heavy drill machine – called the Auger machine – hit an obstacle and went out of commission on Friday. Its blades got badly damaged. It was being pulled out of the 47-meter access pipe inserted inside the debris.

A senior member of the National Disaster Management Authority, Lt general (retired) Syed Ata Hasnain today said the operation was becoming more complex and slow. He said it can go on for a long time.

Slow speed of drilling

The rescue authorities have decided to not use the Auger machine any further and employ manual drilling. According to officials, manual drilling may take more time than the Auger machine drilling.

Rescue workers have drilled 47 meters so far.

“We now have to go 12-15 meters more. It could be 10, 12 or 14 meters, that we have to go manually now,” said a senior NHAI official.

Asked about the speed of manual drilling, he said it could be one meter per hour or more, depending on the situation.

Other challenges

Hasnain said the situation was as “unpredictable” as war.

“I feel everyone has their attention on this as to when this operation will be over, but you need to see that this operation is getting even more complex. We have never given you the timeline. I have experienced that when you do something with mountains, you cannot predict anything. This is exactly a situation like war,” he said.

He said the drilling will start over the next one-two days.

“Two methods are being used currently, but a third method that is draft method may also be used soon. Currently, the situation is that the 47-meter digging has been done, we have to keep it stable and remove the broken part of the Auger machine…I feel in the next 1-2 days the drilling will again start,” he added.

Elaborating on the problems rescuers have been facing, the official said some parts of the damaged auger machine are struck in the debris.

“Advanced machinery is required to bring that part of the auger machine out which is being airlifted by the Indian Air Force and it will reach the tunnel site soon,” he added.

He further said due to these obstacles, no progress had been made over the last 24 hours. He said manual drilling will begin after the stuck parts are removed.

He said the access tunnel is blocked and the authorities are working to cut the broken portion.

“So the tunnel itself is blocked at the moment, the access tunnel is blocked at the moment and work is going on to cut that portion, the broken portion and bring it out. For that special machines have been flown in, special cutters have been flown in from different parts of the country by the Indian Air Force and work on that aspect is about to begin sometime today, hopefully. So as a result, there is no access being made through this particular route at the moment. But the good news is that the 41 workers are all safe,” he said.

He said vertical drilling may start in the next 48 hours. He said the morale of the trapped workers was high.

“They are speaking to their relatives, the logistics are in place, the six-inch and four-inch pipes are all intact, the power line is intact, water is going inside…Vertical drilling will perhaps start in about 48 hours. I cannot lay a timeline fully yet, but hopefully, it should start in that time frame, provided all the machinery is in place,” he added.

The workers have been trapped inside the tunnel since November 12.