On November 12, 2023 the roof of Silkyara Bendon Barkot tunnel in Uttrakhand, North India, caved in trapping forty-one workers.
It sent shock waves across the nation.
Immediate frantic efforts were made to rescue them.
National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Police and tunnel engineers swung into action.
Heavy machinery was used to remove the fallen debris.
But this effort failed as debris kept falling in.
Army engineers were also called in to drill a passage horizontally to reach the trapped workers.
This drill broke as steel girders from the roof of the tunnel blocked it.
The drill repairs were time consuming.
Therefore, American auger drill was flown in to start vertical drilling to reach the trapped workers.
The difficult terrain slowed down the work as crowds gathered in support and protest.
Vertical drilling ran into a snag as it met an underground stream.
Fear gripped as Australian experts advised that it might flood the tunnel where the trapped workers were.
It had to be abandoned.
The engineers decided to drill to make space for a four-inch pipe so that communication could be established and oxygen could be provided.
This worked. Subsequently, bigger pipes were drilled in to send food, water, cameras and medicines.
The workers had lived eight days without food and water.
One can well imagine their trauma. Finally, space was made for a two-and-a-half feet pipe so that the workers could crawl out of this.
But this too ran into a snag.
Army engineers had to use gas torches to cut through the steel.
The last eight meters of the debris had to be removed manually.
For this RAT-HOLE miners were used. They worked frantically for 18 hours to clear the passage.
All 41 workers were rescued.
Outside the tunnel the rescue teams and the crowd was jubilant.
41 ambulances were ready to whisk the workers to the nearest hospital for medical checkup.
Euphoria erupted as people celebrated the rescue operation.
There were tears of joy and prayers for the workers’ rescue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked all those who were involved in this massive rescue operation.
Yes, disasters, natural or manmade can happen and it tests the endurance, tenacity and determination of humanity to survive.
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