PM Modi speaks to CM Dhami on Uttarkashi tunnel rescue; vertical drilling location identified

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and enquired about the progress of the Uttarkashi tunnel rescue work which entered the 11th day.

The chief minister posted on X that he informed PM Modi about the progress made in the last 24 hours. As efforts are on to reach the trapped workers, now the agencies are trying to keep them alive by providing hot food. On Tuesday evening, the workers were provided with pulao and matar paneer.

On a major breakthrough on Wednesday morning, a location for the vertical drilling was identified. Border Roads Organisation made roads near the tunnel site facilitating the passage of a machine that got stuck yesterday.

11th day of Uttarkashi tunnel rescue work: Here are the latest updates

1. 41 workers have been trapped after the tunnel caved in on October 12. Since then, they have been trapped there as the rescuers have been trying to reach them.

2. Family members have spoken to the trapped workers through radio, pipes. On Tuesday, the trapped workers were fed with hot cooked food.

3. “The location for vertical drilling has been identified. Road work for vertical drilling on the hill above the tunnel is almost complete. More than 350 meters of road construction work is complete. BRO is building a road from both Silkyara and Barkot sides which is almost complete,” Director of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, Anshu Manish Khulko said.

4. On Monday evening, the rescuers laid a 6-inch pipe to provide food to the trapped men. But they were only provided with bananas, oranges and medicines. Mobile chargers were also sent through the pipe.

5. On Tuesday evening, they were given veg pulao, matar-paneer, and chapatis with butter.

6. An endoscopy camera was sent into the tunnel to capture visuals of the trapped workers for the first time since the collapse.

7. The drilling work stopped on last Friday evening after the US auger machine developed a snag. On Tuesday night, the drilling resumed.

8. An official said on Tuesday that good news is expected in the next 40 hours as the rescue work which could not make a breakthrough in the last 9 days made some positive developments starting from Monday night.

9. ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL are overseeing the entire rescue work.

10. 800 mm-diameter pipes were now being pushed in instead of 900 mm through the telescoping method.