About thirty six construction workers in Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, Garhwal, Uttarakhand are feared to have been trapped inside under the rubble when a portion of the tunnel 200 metres ahead of its starting point had dismantled and fell down with a huge bang. Though till now there are no reports of any casualty but the rescue teams have reached the spot and the rescue operation is in full swing with the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami writing on social media platform X in Hindi :
News of breakage of a part of the tunnel under construction between Silkyara – Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi has been received. Rescue operation is being conducted by the teams of SDRF, NDRF and local police administration to evacuate all the workers safely. After talking to the District Magistrate in this matter, instructions have been given to speed up the rescue mission. I myself am monitoring the rescue operation. I pray to God for the safe exit of all the employees trapped in the tunnel.
Apart from the local police , NDRF and SDRF, the district magistrate and superintendent of police from Uttarkashi district have reached the spot and personally monitoring the situation. The oxygen cylinders have also been send at the accident site. There are chances of asphyxiation resulting in some casualties but till now there is good news of all being intact. The efforts are on to retrieve the people stuck inside the tunnel.
According to the officer of Disaster management Devendra Singh Patwal the breaking portion of the tunnel that fell with a bang occurred at around 270 metres depth from Silkyara side of the tunnel in Uttarkashi. The rescue work is being executed on war footing. .
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