Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Rescue ops suspended following ‘loud-scale cracking sound’, another drilling machine reaches Silkyara

Rescue operations of 40 workers stuck in the partially collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi have been suspended since Friday, when a US-made auger machine deployed to drill and push in pipes developed a snag.

The under-construction tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway collapsed at dawn on Sunday, trapping 40 workers inside. The tunnel is central government project being constructed under the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).

Another high-performance drilling machine airlifted from Indore in Madhya Pradesh has already landed at the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun and is being transported by road to Silkyara where it will be unloaded and assembled before being deployed for drilling, officials on the spot said, reports PTI.