Their Strength is Fading: Families Express Concern for Workers Trapped in Tunnel
GG News Bureau
Dehradun, 18th Nov. According to those keeping vigil outside the Silkyara tunnel, the voices of their trapped relatives are growing weaker and their strength is seemingly diminishing. The tunnel, which is still under construction, collapsed on Sunday morning with 41 workers inside.
As the hours pass, the desperation of the families waiting outside is increasing. The suspension of rescue operations since Friday, due to a malfunctioning auger machine used to create an escape passage, has only heightened their anxiety.
Haridwar Sharma, whose younger brother Sushil is among those trapped inside the tunnel, stated that the health condition of the workers is deteriorating, causing great panic for their families back home.
Sharma expressed frustration, saying that all they have received are assurances from authorities that the trapped laborers will be rescued.
He added tearfully that there is no work being done inside the tunnel and neither the company nor the government is taking any action. The company claims that a machine is on its way.
One of the families waiting outside is that of Gabbar Singh Negi. His two brothers, Maharaj Singh and Prem Singh, along with his son Akash Singh, have been anxiously waiting for any news.
Maharaj spoke to Gabbar through an oxygen supply pipe and described his voice as feeble and barely audible. He expressed his frustration with the halted rescue work and the lack of food and water for those trapped inside.
Prem, another brother, stated that the trapped workers are losing hope and that their voices are growing weaker. He questioned how long they can sustain themselves on the limited food they are receiving.
Akash, Gabbar’s son, echoed his family’s concerns and criticized the lack of action from the authorities.
As anxiety levels rise, officials at the scene have reported that a high-performance drilling machine has been airlifted from Indore and is being transported to Silkyara for assembly and deployment.
However, the operation was halted on Friday afternoon due to a cracking sound heard during the positioning of a fifth pipe.
This caused panic among the rescue team and raised concerns about further collapse. Consequently, the pipe pushing activity was stopped.
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