Search and rescue operations for two workers missing after a tunnel accident in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district last week are continuing despite a large amount of sludge inside the tunnel, officials said.
According to the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), a joint team comprising the SDRF, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), local police and other agencies has been carrying out search operations continuously since the accident on August 13.
The SDRF said the operation was continuing despite the challenging conditions, with all teams coordinating their efforts inside the tunnel.
Water is being continuously pumped out, while teams are conducting thorough searches using available equipment and resources, it said.
Chamoli District Information Officer Dheeraj Karki told PTI that three of the five JCB machines trapped inside the three-kilometre-long tunnel during the accident have been retrieved, helping speed up the search for the missing workers.
He said the remaining two machines, which are still trapped in the debris, would also be removed soon.
The tunnel, part of THDC India’s Mayapur-Pipalkoti project, was flooded with debris and water following a landslide. Eight people were killed in the accident, while two workers remain missing.
Twelve other workers who were injured were rescued from the tunnel and taken to hospital.
The missing workers have been identified as Lucas Topno from Jharkhand and Chetan Poyam from Chhattisgarh.
(With inputs from PTI)