All 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel were successfully rescued after a 17-day ordeal, marking the culmination of an intensive multi-agency operation. The final phase of the rescue relied on the banned manual “rat-hole” mining technique, as high-tech machines failed to penetrate nearly 60 meters of rock. Geo-informatics expert Amogh Gudekar from Shantinagar in Ponda and mining engineer Asif Mulla from Usgao played crucial roles in the rescue mission, showcasing their technical expertise alongside the entire team.
Specially modified stretchers were used to bring the workers to the surface, manually lowered through a two-meter-wide pipe drilled into the hillside. NDRF personnel assessed the workers’ conditions and guided them through rescue protocols before each worker was strapped to a stretcher and manually pulled up through 60 meters of rock and debris.
Following the successful rescue, 41 ambulances, one for each worker, transported them to emergency medical facilities in Chinyalisaur, approximately 30 km away. Upon emerging from the tunnel, the rescued workers were greeted with garlands, sweets, and cheers from the rescue personnel and on-site observers. Families of the trapped workers celebrated their reunions after 17 days of separation, with the rescued individuals getting an opportunity to speak to their families back home.
