RESCUE workers pulled out all 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel in a multi-agency rescue operation that hovered between hope and despair for almost 17 days. Union Minister V K Singh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami welcomed the workers as National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) men brought them out through a steel chute that lined a 60-metre passage. An ambulance with the first of the 41 workers left the mouth of the tunnel around 8 pm, about an hour after a group of rat-hole mining experts dug through the last stretch of rubble. There was hugging and cheers as the ordeal ended. Outside the tunnel some people chanted “Har Har Mahadev” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai”. Ambulances which had lined up at the tunnel ferried the workers to a community health centre where a special 41-bed ward had been set up. Before this, the workers were given a quick medical checkup as they emerged out of the steel pipe. CM Dhami said no worker was in a critical situation. But the labourers will be kept under medical observation for some time before being sent home, he said.

 

He said the youngest of the worker was rescued first. A portion of the tunnel on the Char Dham route collapsed on November 12, blocking the exit of the workers who were inside. Food, medicines and other essentials were sent to them through a six-inch pipe pushed through the rubble of the collapsed portion. President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday expressed happiness over rescue of the workers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand, saying the nation salutes their resilience and remains grateful to them for building critical infrastructure even at great personal risk. Their travails over 17 days, as the rescue effort met with obstacles, have been a testament of human endurance, Murmu said. “I congratulate the teams and all experts who have acted with incredible grit and determination to perform one of the most difficult rescue missions in history,” Murmu said in a post on X. Rescuers pulled out all 41 workers trapped in Uttarakand’s Silkyara tunnel in a multi-agency rescue operation that hovered between hope and despair for over almost 17 days. “I feel relieved and happy to learn that all the workers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand have been rescued. Their travails over 17 days, as the rescue effort met with obstacles, have been a testament of human endurance.

 

 

The nation salutes their resilience and remains grateful to them for building critical infrastructure, even at great personal risk, far away from their homes,” President Murmu said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the relief workers. “Everyone involved in the mission has created an amazing example of humanity and teamwork,” he posted on X. Modi also said the multi-agency rescue exercise has made everyone emotional. “It is a matter of great satisfaction that these friends of ours will meet their dear ones after a long wait,” he added. Addressing the 41 rescued workers, he said their courage and patience inspire everyone as he wished them good health and well-being. “It is a matter of great satisfaction that these friends of ours will meet their dear ones after a long wait,” he said, asserting that the patience and courage of their family members cannot be praised enough. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he saluted the grit of the trapped workers for facing such a challenging situation for so long. The final challenge in the rescue operation was tackled by a group of men versed in the technique of rat-hole mining, which typically involves extracting small amounts of coal by going down narrow burrows.

 

They were called in to carry out manual drilling after a huge American-made auger boring machine got stuck in the horizontal passage that had been dug up to about 47 meters. Meanwhile, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said he is “relieved and happy” as all the trapped workers have been rescued. “This was a well-coordinated effort by multiple agencies, marking one of the most significant rescue operations in recent years. Various departments and agencies complemented each other despite facing numerous challenges,” he said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Kharge said it is a matter of great relief and joy for everyone that the workers were brought out of the tunnel safely. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh lauded the resilience and fortitude of the labourers. Thanking Modi for providing constant support during the rescue efforts, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said no worker is critical but all of them will be kept under medical observation before being sent home. Dhami also said Rs 1 lakh will be given to each rescued worker. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to labourers rescued from Uttarakhand tunnel over phone.