Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India] : The Uttarakhand government, has constituted a six-member expert committee to probe the cause of the collapse of a portion of the tunnel being constructed connect Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi district.
A total of 40 workers are trapped in the tunnel are reportedly safe according to authorities and and are being provided with food, water and oxygen. Rescuers are inserting large diameter steel pipes into the debris filled tunnel using an auger machine to create a passage through which the workers will be evavuated.
Experts included in the committee chaired by Director, Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre to study and investigate the causes of collapse in Silkyara Tunnel have inspected the site and started their investigation.
The team had arrived at the site on Monday and is surveying the tunnel and the hill above it.
The team of experts includes Shantanu Sarkar, Director of Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority Dehradun, Khaing Shing Lurai, Scientist of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Geological Survey of India Scientist Sunil Kumar Yadav, Senior Scientist Central Building Research Institute(CBRI) Roorkee Kaushil Pandit, Deputy Director of Geology and Mineralogy Department GD Prasad and geologist from USDMA Dehradun, Tandrila Sarkar.
The team will inspect the site and will submit the report to the state government.
The tunnel had been breached by 21 metres and rescue efforts are continuing.
“On November 10, 2023, re-profiling work was started from Ch. 260m to Ch. 265m at LHS and for the same patch primary lining works for the same were completed. On November 12, breaking work was started from Ch. 260m to Ch. 263m for the next patch of work and around 5:30 am, early morning collapse occurred from Ch. 205m to 260 meters where re-profiling was completed. 40 workers based on contractor tunnel entry register trapped inside the tunnel,” a report said.
The Silkyara Tunnel is 4531 meters long and is being constructed at a cost of Rs 853.79 crore. A portion of the under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed in the early hours of November 12.
Trucks laden with 900 mm diameter pipes started arriving at Silkyara after Monday midnight.
According to authorities, a platform is being prepared for an auger machine to drill horizontally and insert large-diameter MS pipes in between the debris so that the trapped workers can be taken out through the metal pipes.