Uttarakhand tunnel successfully breached: Rescue operation nears completion; ambulances and medical aid kept on standby

The Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand, which had collapsed, has been successfully breached, according to an official statement on Tuesday. This development brings a glimmer of hope to the families of those who were trapped inside. The experts at the accident site are hopeful that the trapped workers will be rescued any moment now.

“As a result of the immense grace of Baba Baukh Nag Ji, prayers of crores of countrymen and the tireless work of all the rescue teams engaged in the rescue operation, the work of laying pipes in the tunnel to take out the workers has been completed. Soon all the labor brothers will be taken out,” said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, taking to social media platform ‘X’.

At the entrance of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel, forty-one ambulances are on standby, ready to transport the workers to the nearest medical facility. To ensure an efficient and organized response, a green corridor has been established, facilitating the quick transfer of rescued workers to the Chinyalisaur Community Health Centre, located 30 km from the tunnel.

The post-evacuation plan also entails a dedicated ward with 41 oxygen-equipped beds to deliver immediate medical attention to each worker. To facilitate unobstructed ambulance passage, the road leading to the tunnel, worn unevenly by continuous heavy vehicle traffic over the past two weeks, is undergoing repairs with a fresh layer of soil. Security has been deployed around the tunnel, ready to implement the evacuation protocol as soon as the workers are brought out of the tunnel.​