Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue: Australian Expert Arnold Dix Offers Prayers Before Baba Bokhnaag After Successful Evacuation
International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix, who was part of the unprecedented rescue operations at the?Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, was on Wednesday seen offering prayers at the makeshift shrine of Baba Bokhnaag, hours after the trapped men were safely evacuated.
Dix, the President of International Tunnelling Underground Space, came to India on November 20 and has been camping at the?Silkyara tunnel?site ever since.??
Why?Arnold Dix thanked?Baba Bokhnaag
His expertise has been crucial in the 17-day-long rescue mission that ran into roadblocks, one after the other.
Dix said that he made a promise to God to say thank you for the safe rescue and evacuation of all trapped workers.
"If you haven't noticed, I think we have just witnessed a miracle," he said.
What is Baba Bokhnaag's link to Silkyara?
Throughout the mission, Dix, who specialises in underground and transportation infrastructure, was seen offering prayers at the shrine of Baba Bokhnaag, a local deity, at the mouth of the Silkyara tunnel.
Some locals had claimed that the demolition of the temple of Baba Bokhnaag, considered the protector of the area, by the construction company had resulted in the collapse of the Silkyara tunnel on November 12.
Why Dix was confident about the mission?
Despite the mission suffering several setbacks from machine failures, Dix was confident that the 41 men would be evacuated safely.
He had repeatedly said that the 41 trapped men would go home unhurt before Christmas.
On being asked about the kinds of challenges faced during the rescue operation, Arnold Dix said, "I think it would be better to say, what kind of challenges didn't we face? And what we didn't face was a combined sense of purpose to save the 41 people. That's the challenge we didn't face. We don't have that in many places. Everyone knew we were bringing those men home."
According to him, the rescue team worked together, stayed calm, and knew exactly what they wanted.
"We worked as a wonderful team. And when I say a wonderful team, the best engineers here in India, the army, their engineers, the best I've ever worked with, all the agencies, the federal authority, the state, all the people, it was just a joy. A joy to be a part of this successful mission," he said.
Dix further said that this rescue was different as compared to other rescue operations he has done, as no one got hurt during this operation, which is usually not the case in rescue operations.
"It's pretty different. This was just fantastic," he said.
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