Uttarkashi tunnel operation Day 5: New machinery into service, may take 2-3 days more to rescue 40 workers

Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation updates: In the third attempt by rescue officials to open a passage big enough to free 40 workers who have been stuck inside a 4.5km-long tunnel in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, for over 100 hours, behind a wall of debris that is 70 meters thick, a new and more potent drilling machine was finally put into service late on Thursday night.

In its first six hours of operation, which began at 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, the new “state-of-the-art” auger machine was able to drill through nine meters, according to National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) officials.

The 24-tonne state-of-the-art performance auger drilling machine can cut the tunnel at a speed of 5 mm per hour if it operates as intended. 

Given the precarious condition of the mountains where the tunnel is located, experts from Thailand and Norway were taken into consideration. The 800 and 900 mm evacuation tubes must be inserted through nearly 50 meters of debris. The personnel who are stuck on the other side of the debris can then crawl to safety after this has happened.

The Union Minister expressed optimism that the stranded workers will be freed soon. In addition, he stated that attempts were underway to conclude the rescue operations in two or three days.

"A new machine is working, whose power and speed are better than the old machine. Our effort is to complete this rescue operation in two to three days. I talked with them (workers), and their morale is high. They know that the government is working to rescue them," Union Minister General (retd) VK Singh said. 

The workers remained stranded in the tunnel behind a cave-in as of Thursday midnight, despite assurances from NHIDCL authorities to their families that everyone was alive and receiving supplies via a water pipe. 

Following multiple cave-ins, the debris's size has grown from 50–55 meters to 65–70 meters, according to a Railways officer involved in the rescue effort who wished to remain anonymous.

The drilling is being done by NHIDCL, and the rescue operation is being overseen by the Uttarakhand Disaster Management Authority and the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF). Officials from the NDRF at the location stated that they could not access and retrieve the workers until the drilling was finished.