NDRF Practices for the Rescue of the Uttarkashi Tunnel

In order to prepare for the rescue of the 41 workers who are trapped within the Silkyara tunnel, the NDRF practiced on Friday how it would maneuver its wheeled stretchers down the chute.

Pushing a wheeled stretcher attached to a rope at the end of the tunnel, an NDRF employee went into the channel and was hauled back up after finishing the distance.

In order to rescue the workers who had been stuck within the tunnel for the previous twelve days, a passageway with a diameter of 800 mm steel pipes has been created through the debris.

Lying facedown on the wheeled stretcher was an NDRF member who had entered the corridor.

He said that there was plenty space within the pipes and that breathing wasn’t a problem while doing the activity.

Since Thursday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has been encamped at Matli in order to keep a close eye on the rescue efforts.

To assist the chief minister in carrying out his daily responsibilities, a makeshift camp has been established by the office.

At the tunnel, work on drilling and pushing pipes through the debris has not yet started again.

To get to the stranded workers on the opposite side, the rescuers must tunnel a further 12 to 14 meters through the debris.