Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Trapped workers speak to their kin through pipe

As rescue operations to save 40 labourers trapped in an under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district continued for the third day on Tuesday, the police facilitated their contact with their anxious kin through a pipe.

Uttarkashi Police's CO Prashant Kumar, in a bid to bolster the trapped men's spirits, made arrangements for some of them to talk to their families through this mechanism.

Kotdwara resident Gambhir Singh Negi, who is among the trapped men, talked to his son, who inquired about his well-being and gave him update of the efforts being made to rescue them. 

Meanwhile, the Uttarkashi police control room is keeping others' families updated on the situation while food, water, and oxygen is being supplied to the trapped men.

A portion of the under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Yamunotri National Highway in Uttarkashi district collapsed due to a landslide early on Sunday.

To rescue the workers from the tunnel, 900 mm diameter steel pipes and drill and boring machines have reached the spot and work has begun to cut through the blockage.

Meanwhile, SDRF commandant Manikant Mishra, who is leading the rescue operation, on Tuesday talked to the workers trapped in the tunnel through a walkie-talkie and inquired about their well-being. The workers told him that they were all fine and hoped they would be rescued soon.

As per the district administration, out of the 40 labourers, 15 are from Jharkhand, three from Bihar, four from West Bengal, two from Uttarakhand, one from Himachal Pradesh, eight from Uttar Pradesh, two from Assam, and five from Odisha.