“Shine The Light…”: Race To Save People Trapped In Uttarakhand Tunnel

Late Tuesday night – nearly 60 hours after a glacier burst in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli unleashed an avalanche that trapped between 25 and 35 people inside the 2.5 km-long Tapovan tunnel – rescue teams finally managed to clear some of the debris and, with great caution, enter the structure.
Visuals from news agency ANI showed a joint team of ITBP, NDRF and SDRF personnel – wearing high-visibility jackets and yellow hardhats – tramp through ankle-deep slush and enter the tunnel.
Inside, all is dark and the meagre light from torches and the miner’s lamps show boulders and large chunks of concrete embedded in the mud and slush that seems to have filled most of the tunnel, which is U-shaped and measures 12 by 15 feet.
The tunnel has one entry and bifurcates, making it harder to locate the missing men.
“Clearing of debris and slush continued the whole night. About 120 metres of the tunnel entrance stretch is now clear,” ITBP spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey told news agency PTI
“The height of the accumulated slush has reduced… ITBP personnel are waiting to enter as soon as possible,” he added.
The challenge, though, is clearing the slush quickly (and safely).
Report by web desk
Reported on – 10/02/2021