November 26th 2023.
Rescuers began drilling into the hill above the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel on Sunday, taking the vertical approach as a last resort to reach the 41 workers trapped inside for 14 days. By the end of the day, the heavy drilling equipment had bored down to about 19.5 metres - 86 metres more to reach the tunnel.
National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited Managing Director Mahmood Ahmed said the vertical boring operation should be completed by Thursday, if there are no obstacles. As the drilling progresses, 700-mm wide pipes are being inserted to create an escape passage, while a thinner 200-mm probe is being pushed in, having reached the 70-metre mark.
The vertical boring option was chosen after the latest snag in the horizontal drilling operation from the tunnel's Silkyara-end, where an estimated 60-metre stretch of rubble faced rescue workers. This portion of the tunnel collapsed on Diwali morning, leaving the workers inside with no exit. A huge auger drill got stuck on Friday evening, forcing officials to give up on the 25-tonne machine.
To support the next approach, a plasma cutter was airlifted from Hyderabad, and a Defence Research and Development Organisation team and a unit of Army engineers, the Madras Sappers, arrived on the scene. By Sunday evening, only 8.15 metres of the auger shaft remained to be cut out, with the exercise expected to be completed by Sunday midnight or Monday morning.
Once the auger is completely extricated, rescuers will turn to manual drilling to clear the remaining 10 or 12 metre stretch of rubble. An individual worker will enter a steel chute, operating the drill while another man sends the debris up through a pulley.
Work on other options is also in progress. By Tuesday, rescue workers will start drilling a 180-metre alternative escape tunnel into the side of the hill, estimated to take 12-14 days. Drilling is also being carried out from the Barkot-end of the tunnel, and workers have progressed about 10 out of 483 metres.
Meanwhile, the trapped workers are being sent food, medicines and other essentials through a six-inch wide pipe, and a communication system has been set up to allow them to talk to their families. NDMA member Lt Gen Ata Syed Hasnain said the best option remained horizontal drilling, but the rescue could take several weeks more.
Relatives of those trapped inside remain anxious, but still hopeful. Manjeet's father Chowdhury said that once his son is rescued he will never allow him to work here again. The Uttar Pradesh farm labourer spoke to his son through the communication link on Sunday, assuring him that they will succeed soon.
The administration has set up a camp for the families of the trapped workers outside the tunnel, and they talk daily with the men inside. NHIDCL MD Mahmood Ahmed said that a committee has been set up to investigate why an escape tunnel was never constructed, but their main priority is to rescue the workers as early as possible.
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