Because the rescue effort continues for the 40 employees trapped in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel, the Indian Air Pressure (IAF) is again in motion, because it airlifted roughly 22 tonnes of essential gear from Indore to Dehradun by way of a C-17 transport plane, PTI reported. Regardless of preliminary momentum, drilling work inside the tunnel got here to a halt on Saturday. Anshu Manish Khulko, Director of NHIDCL (the tunnel-making firm), informed ANI that there’s a pause in drilling. Nonetheless, Khulko clarified that it was not attributable to any malfunction within the machine. Stories recommend that drilling was halted after employees heard a ‘cracking’ sound and encountered a technical snag.
#WATCH | Uttarakhand: Uttarkashi tunnel rescue | Morning visuals from the spot; reduction and rescue work halted at Silkyara Tunnel
Talking to ANI Anshu Manish Khulko, Director of the tunnel-making firm NHIDCL, stated that at current the drilling work within the tunnel has stopped.… pic.twitter.com/ZhNAsdAtRX
— ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2023
Rescue groups diligently drilled by way of as much as 24 metres of particles within the Silkyara tunnel by Friday afternoon, progressively nearing the trapped employees who had been in misery for almost every week.
“The IAF has continued with its operations to help the continued tunnel rescue underway at Dharasu, Uttarakhand. An IAF C-17 has been deployed to airlift nearly 22 Tonnes of important gear from Indore to Dehradun. #FirstResponders #HADROps,” the IAF posted on X.
The IAF has continued with its operations to help the continued tunnel rescue underway at Dharasu, Uttarakhand.
An IAF C-17 has been deployed to airlift nearly 22 Tonnes of important gear from Indore to Dehradun.#FirstResponders#HADROps pic.twitter.com/XW9kvLymcA
— Indian Air Pressure (@IAF_MCC) November 17, 2023
Earlier within the week, the IAF encountered challenges throughout rescue operations close to Uttarkashi, going through a setback attributable to gear failure that impeded passage creation.
In a time-sensitive response, the IAF swiftly mobilised a particular operation utilizing the C-130J Tremendous Hercules to ship the important gear near the tunnel. This operation, executed inside 5 hours, strategically utilised Dharasu ALG in Chinyalisaur, an airstrip located about 30 km from the rescue website, standing at an elevation of three,000 ft above sea stage with a modest 3,600 ft size, reported PTI.
Collaborating with civil administration and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the IAF meticulously deliberate and executed this important mission. A preliminary evaluation by way of an IAF helicopter ensured the operational feasibility earlier than initiating the ultimate mission.
Regardless of earlier assessments deeming Dharasu ALG unsuitable for routine operations, the IAF made a decisive name to activate it for this pressing mission. Earlier than the ultimate operation, an IAF helicopter with a C-130J pilot aboard performed a number of assessments to determine the runway situations and decide probably the most viable strategy for clearance, in response to PTI.
Overcoming challenges equivalent to restricted visibility, manoeuvring heavy masses on a restricted runway, and unloading inside confined areas, the IAF efficiently transported 27.5 tonnes of important rescue gear to the distant airstrip. To facilitate unloading from the C130J plane, a makeshift mud ramp was rapidly constructed, stopping delays in subsequent rescue operations.