Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India], November 29 (ANI): National Disaster Relief Force personnel Manmohan Singh Rawat, who was commander of the team that went in to rescue workers in the Uttarkashi tunnel on Wednesday said that throughout the operations they maintained constant contact with those trapped inside. He narrated his experience and the ordeal leading to the successful evacuation of 41 trapped workers inside the Silkyara tunnel.
“When I entered the tunnel, I asked them, ‘Ap loog kaise hai? (How are you?)” I said to them, ‘Do not panic.’ They were very happy to see the NDRF team reaching out to them,” Rawat told ANI on Wednesday. Recounting the ordeal of rescue operations lasting for 17 days, he said, “It was very challenging to supply essential food items through a pipe to workers.”
“We kept assuring them that we would be reaching out to you and therefore do not panic and therefore kept their morale high during this time,” he added. Satpal, another NDRF personnel, said while speaking to ANI that the operation was “challenging” for the entire country.
“We were already informed about the complications of the operation. Four rescuers from a 12-member NDRF team were on the frontlines and had to march ahead of the tunnel. Four personnel were kept on backup to pull out the workers.
He said that officials, including ministers, were in constant touch with the workers during this time. “They had the confidence that they would come out of the tunnel. Therefore, they were not panic-stricken and very happy.”
On November 12, a section of the tunnel between 205 and 260 metres from the Silkyara side collapsed. Workers who were beyond the 260-metre mark were trapped, with their exit blocked.
All 41 workers who were trapped inside Uttarakhand’s Silkyari tunnel since November 12 were evacuated safely on Tuesday evening. The breakthrough was achieved at 7:05 pm.
Vikram, part of a five-member NDRF team, who had rushed from Manali after completing a course in Avalanche,said while speaking to ANI, “We were informed on the phone to report here as soon as possible. We were briefed about the rescue operation upon reaching here.”
We were divided into three teams each of four members, he said, adding that all the workers exited the tunnel in a span of one-and-a-half hour. (ANI)
Uttarkashi tunnel rescue op: medical checkup of 41 workers underway
Chiniyalisaur (Uttarakhand) [India], November 29 (ANI): A medical checkup of 41 workers who were successfully rescued from the Silkyara Tunnel located on Uttarkashi-Yamnotri Road is going on at Chiniyalisaud Community Health Centre.
According to government sources, all the workers admitted to the health centre are being given food as per the doctors’ advice.
Earlier, after the successful rescue of 41 workers from the Silkyara tunnel on Tuesday evening, Dr Pravin Kumar, Health Director of Garhwal Division, in charge of the rescue operation, highlighted that constant communication with the trapped workers helped in maintaining their mental health stability.
Pravin Kumar mentioned that both Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the state health minister were consistently present at the site, and health teams kept boosting the morale of the trapped workers. “Our state health minister and chief minister were constantly present here at the tunnel site.
From the very first day, our teams were trying to boost their morale and were trying to establish contact with the trapped workers,” he said. “Whatever food items can be sent through the pipe were being sent, and our teams kept boosting their morale, and this is why the workers are in good mental state after being rescued,” he added.
When asked about the health challenges workers faced while they were trapped, Dr. Pravin Kumar said, “The workers were not diagnosed with any major ailments. Some of the workers faced difficulty passing urine and allergies, and we treated them accordingly. Water, juice, and food were constantly provided to the workers.”
Meanwhile, after 17 days of tense anticipation, relief and happiness enveloped the faces of the family members of 41 trapped workers upon receiving news of their successful rescue from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi on Tuesday evening.
The emotional moment unfolded as the culmination of exhaustive rescue efforts that captured the nation’s attention. The families, enduring prolonged desperation, celebrated the rescue and wholeheartedly thanked the government for bringing their loved ones back.
They marked the occasion by bursting crackers and distributing sweets. Some family members engaged in video conferencing with the workers to ensure their well-being. Many relatives, who had reached the site a couple of days after the incident and had been camping there since were finally reunited with their loved ones.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to the rescued men over the phone. The Mammoth rescue operation was launched after a portion under-construction tunnel from Silkyara end caved in on November 12 trapping 41 workers.
Of the 41 men, 15 are from Jharkhand, two are from Uttarakhand, five are from Bihar, three are from West Bengal, eight are from Uttar Pradesh, five are from Odisha, two are from Assam, and one is from Himachal Pradesh. (ANI)
