The fate of the 41 workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi remains uncertain as the rescue operations hit yet another snag on Friday night, forcing agencies deployed for the evacuation to halt the drilling for the time being.

The NDRF, SDRF, ITB and other central and state agencies are anxiously surrounding the Uttarkashi rescue site after the American auger machine hit a metal grinder in the final phase of the rescue operation, extending the timeline to retrieve the trapped workers.

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse rescue operation: Top updates

• The final phase of the rescue of the 41 trapped men commenced on Friday morning, with the American auger resuming its horizontal drilling. However, the operation hit a snag in the evening.
• The auger hit a metal grinder in the rubble, due to which the drilling was put to a halt. It is not yet known when the drilling will resume and the workers will be wheeled out of the collapsed tunnel.
• Agencies have revealed that only 10-12 metres of drilling is left in the final phase of the rescue, which can be completed in 5-6 hours when resumed.
• After multiple setbacks leading to the repeated repair of the American auger machine, the rescuers are exploring the method of manual drilling. This could, however, lead to a slowdown of the process.
• The NDRF has prepared a method to roll out the rescued workers using a stretcher with wheels attached to it, which will go inside the tunnel once the drilling is complete.
• Agencies have said that there is “no timeline yet” for the final phase of the rescue operations to conclude, and the workers can remain trapped for another day.
• Rescuers are also planning to commence vertical drilling after horizontal drilling of the tunnel has encountered multiple setbacks. Only 10 per cent of the remaining portion is left to be cleared in the final phase.
• With no fixed timeline provided by the government and agencies yet, it is expected that the rescue mission will take another 18-24 hours if rescuers resort to manual drilling methods.

Forty-one workers have remained trapped in the rubble of the Silkyara tunnel since Diwali day, November 12, with the rescue operations in Uttarkashi halted once again on Day 14. The agencies have not yet revealed when the rescue ops will resume once again.