A faster and more powerful 'American auger' machine has begun work at the Silkyara Tunnel.
As the rescue operation to evacuate 40 labourers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand entered its fifth day on Thursday, Union Minister VK Singh visited the site and said it may take 2-3 more days for the task to be completed. The minister of state for road transport and highways said the rescue could be finished sooner, even as early as Friday, but the government is keeping a longer timeline in mind to account for unexpected difficulties.
The minister's statement came even as a faster and more powerful 'American auger' machine began work at Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi to push through a pipe that will be used to rescue the construction workers, who have been trapped in the tunnel since Sunday morning. He also confirmed that the rescue teams have spoken to foreign experts, including a firm that helped save 12 children and their football coach who were stranded in a cave in Thailand
Addressing a press conference at the site, Mr Singh said in Hindi, "Our priority is to ensure the trapped workers are safe and are rescued at the earliest. Everyone, from the Prime Minister to the chief minister, is helping in every way they can. We faced some problems with the machine that was being used earlier and a faster, more powerful, machine has now been deployed."
"We are aiming to finish the operation in 2-3 days, It could happen earlier as well but we are keeping 2-3 days as the outer limit in case any other problems arise. All suggestions are being considered. We are taking the help of foreign experts as well as those from within India. I have spoken to the labourers. Their morale is high and they know that the government is making efforts to rescue them," he added.
NDTV had reported on Wednesday that teams involved in the rescue have contacted a company from Thailand which had helped save members of a junior association football team and their coach who were trapped in Tham Luang Nang Non, a cave system in Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand, in 2018.
Help is also being taken from the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute for suggestions on how to carry out operations inside the tunnel.
The fact that the Thai firm has been consulted was also confirmed by National Disaster Response Force Director General Atul Karwal in an exclusive interview with NDTV on Thursday.
Mr Karwal also said that the thickness of the debris, which was initially 40-50 metres, has gone up to 70 metres because more rubble has fallen.