Uttarakhand: Men trapped in tunnel come on camera

Visuals of workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district, released by rescuers. Pic/PTI

The first visuals of the 41 workers trapped inside Silkyara tunnel emerged Tuesday, raising hopes of families anxiously awaiting their evacuation as a multi-pronged rescue effort entered its 10th day. The visuals were captured using an endoscopic camera sent in through a six-inch pipeline, which was pushed Monday through the rubble of the collapsed portion of tunnel on Uttarakhand's Char Dham route. In a video released by the rescue agencies, the workers wearing yellow and white helmets, are seen receiving food items sent to them through the pipeline and talking to each other.

Officials watching them on a screen are heard giving instructions, asking them to clean the lens and show themselves on camera. They are heard asking them to come near the mouth of the pipeline and use the walkie-talkies, apparently sent down earlier. Relatives have talked earlier to the trapped workers through the four-inch compressor tube that already existed. Food items like dry fruit were also being sent through that pipe. But the new wider ‘lifeline', which pierced through 53 metres of rubble, has come as a boost to the morale of the rescue workers.

Be sensitive: Govt to TV channels

The government on Tuesday issued an advisory to private television channels, asking them to refrain from sensationalising the coverage of the rescue operations at Silkyara, where 41 workers are trapped inside a tunnel for 10 days. The advisory, also told television channels to be sensitive, especially while putting out headlines and videos of the rescue operations, considering the psychological status of family members of the trapped workers.

Rescuing workers safely priority: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday, the second day in a row, to enquire about the operation to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel for 10 days. In a post on X, Dhami said he told Modi that the workers are safe and the prime minister underlined that the rescue mission is the topmost priority. This is the fourth time that Modi spoke to Dhami to take stock of the rescue operation since the tunnel collapse on November 12.

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