The whole nation was filled with joy after the 41 workers trapped inside Uttarkashi’s partially collapsed Silkyara tunnel were rescued on tuesday night. After the stuck auger machine was cut out from the tunnel, rat-miners got down to work and dug through the last stretch of the rubble, clearing the path for a 57-metre steel pipe to be pushed in for the workers. uttarakhand Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami greeted the workers as they got out of the tunnel and expressed his joy on the success of the rescue operation.
Narrating the experience of being stuck inside the tunnel for 17 days, one of the workers, Akhilesh Singh, said, it was only after 18 hours that the people realized that they were stuck inside the tunnel. Singh said that after the tunnel collapsed, according to their training, the workers opened a water pipe and once the water started falling, people on the outside realized that the workers were trapped inside. Singh said that once the rescue team inserted the steel lifeline pipe through the rubble, food was sent to the workers throughout the day. To an extent that there is still enough food to last 25 days inside the tunnel, Singh was quoted.
However, another worker, Anil Bediya, recalled the difficulties they faced in the initial days. Bediya said that they survived the initial days by eating ‘muri’ (puffed rice) and licking water dripping from the rocks. All the rescuers were lauded by prime minister Narendra Modi for their efforts throughout the operations. The prime minister, expressing his happiness, also said that the bravery of the workers surviving inside the tunnel for 17 days was inspiring for the nation.
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