November 12: Landslide struck under-construction tunnel, trapped 41 labourers
A landslide struck the under-construction Silkyara-Dandalgaon tunnel along the Brahmkhal-Yamunotri highway in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, on Diwali morning, trapping 41 labourers.
(Agencies photo)
November 13: CM Dhami visited the spot, Contacted trapped workers
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami visited the spot, and contact was established with the trapped workers through a pipe meant to supply them with oxygen. Fresh rubble kept falling from above.
(Agencies photo)
November 14: Steel pipes were deployed for horizontal digging
Steel pipes were brought to the tunnel site for horizontal digging with an auger machine. Essential supplies like food, water, oxygen, electricity, and medicines continued to be provided to the trapped workers.
(Agencies photo)
November 15: Auger machine airlifted from Delhi on NHIDCL request
Dissatisfied with the initial drilling machine, the NHIDCL requested a state-of-the-art auger machine, which was subsequently airlifted from Delhi to expedite the operation.
(Agencies photo)
November 16: Auger machine was assembled and installed
The new drilling machine was assembled and installed. It started working past midnight.
(Agencies photo)
November 17: Machine drilled about 24 meters
The machine drilled about 24 meters through the 57-meter stretch of rubble by the afternoon, and four MS pipes were inserted. However, the process came to a halt again when the fifth pipe hit an obstacle.
(Agencies photo)
November 18: PM officials with experts planned different evacuation plans
A team of officials from the PMO, along with experts, opted to pursue five evacuation plans simultaneously. This included exploring alternative options such as vertical drilling through the top of the tunnel to rescue the trapped laborers.
(Agencies photo)
November 19: Union minister Nitin Gadkari reviewed rescue operation
Drilling was suspended, and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari reviewed the rescue operation. He stated that boring horizontally with the large auger machine seemed to be the best option.
(Agencies photo)
November 20: PM Modi spoke to chief minister to assess ongoing operation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Dhami over the phone to assess the rescue operations at the Silkyara tunnel and emphasized the importance of maintaining the morale of those involved.
(Agencies photo)
November 21: First video of labourers released by rescuers
Rescuers released the first video of trapped labourers in the Silkyara tunnel, wearing yellow and white helmets, receiving food through a pipeline. Two blasts at the Balkot-end began drilling another tunnel as an alternative to the Silkyara-end option.
(Agencies photo)
November 22: Horizontal drilling reached 45 m
Horizontal drilling of 800 mm diameter steel pipes reached about 45 meters, with only 12 meters remaining of the approximately 57-meter debris stretch. However, the drilling encountered a hurdle in the evening when some iron rods obstructed the auger machine.
November 23: Obstruction delayed the operation by six hours
The morning saw the removal of the six-hour-delaying iron obstruction in the drilling. Rescue operations resumed, reaching the 48-meter point, but had to be halted again as cracks appeared in the platform supporting the drilling machine.
(Agencies photo)
November 24: Another obstruction halted operation
Rescue drilling at the collapsed Silkyara tunnel, aimed at saving 41 men trapped inside for 12 days, faced another interruption on Friday, according to officials. The auger drilling machine encountered an obstacle, seemingly a metal object, shortly after resuming drilling.
(Agencies photo)
November 25: Renowned expert Arnold Dix disclosed about machine malfunction
International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix revealed that the auger machine used for drilling through the rubble at the Silkyara tunnel had malfunctioned. As a result, rescuers were exploring alternative options, such as vertical and manual drilling.
(Agencies photo)
November 26: Heavy drilling equipment had reached about 19.5 m
Rescuers started drilling into the hill above the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel to reach 86 meters down. By evening, the heavy drilling equipment had reached about 19.5 meters.
(Agencies photo)
November 27: Sources indicated manual clearing would take around 16 hours
Government sources indicated that manual clearing of the caved-in portion would take around 16 hours, with no obstacles. Vertical drilling, considered more certain, could take between 20 and 50 hours.
(Agencies photo)
November 28: All 41 workers rescued from tunnel
All 41 workers have been evacuated from the collapsed portion of the tunnel and they have been taken to the temporary hospital put up inside the tunnel for medical check-up and acclimatisation to the temperature outside, which has dropped much over the last two weeks.
PM Modi expresses relief after rescue
"The success of the rescue operation of our labour brothers in Uttarkashi is making everyone emotional. I want to say to the friends who were trapped in the tunnel that your courage and patience are inspiring everyone", said PM Modi in a post on X.