Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue: Auger Machine 'Busted', Other Options Being Explored
The rescue operation at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, has been stuck, and the teams are now exploring other options, including manual drilling and vertical drilling, as the Auger machine has 'broken down'.
The American-made Auger machine has repeatedly gotten stuck while drilling, resulting in the rescue team losing many valuable hours.
The Auger machine got stuck again on Friday evening after hitting an obstacle.
How Auger machine is delaying rescue?
A senior official told ANI that frequent breakdowns in the Auger machine had delayed the rescue of the trapped workers. The senior official said every time the machine hit an obstruction, it had to be pulled back 50 metres and pushed back after repairs. The entire process would set the rescuers back by 5-7 hours.
What happened to the Auger machine
International tunnel expert Arnold Dix, who is aiding in the rescue process, said that there were multiple ways to rescue the trapped workers, and the 41 men inside the Silkyara tunnel are coming home safely. He also spoke about the breakdown of the Auger machine, saying there would not be any new auger machine and other methods would be used for rescue operations.
What's next?
"There are multiple ways. It's not just one way. At the moment, everything is fine. You will not see the augering anymore. Auger's work is finished. The auger (machine) has broken. It's irreparable. It is disrupted. No more work from Auger. No more drilling from the Auger. There will not be a new auger," International Tunnelling Expert Arnold Dix said.
"I said that 41 men are coming home safely, and we're not going to hurt anybody in the process. We're looking at, as we've always been, multiple options. But with each option we're considering right now, to do that, we evaluate all of the evidence that we have about how the mountain is behaving. Now, the mountain has again resisted the Auger, so we're rethinking our approach. This is a decision that's been made by all the experts, including Indian and local experts. The Himalayan experts from India are providing us with all the information we need. I am confident that 41 men are coming home." added Arnold Dix.
Why taking time is better than rushing?
"I'll just say that I've always promised that they'd be home by Christmas. If you remember right from the beginning, I've never been. It is a long time, and they're safe, and they're well, and if we rush, we can cause another problem in there. So we're taking our time and being very considerate, and that's what all these meetings are at the moment. Of course, there'll be an announcement shortly about what we're going to do," he added.
When will manual drilling start?
According to officials on the ground, manual drilling is being considered.
Manual drillers will get to work once the US-made, heavy-duty Auger drilling machine is removed from the pipeline through which the trapped workers are to be brought out.
They, however, refused to give any timeframe for the drilling or the evacuation to be completed.
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