Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse: Rescuers await arrival of drilling machine on 7th day; IAF deploys C-17 to airlift equipment from Indore to Dehradun

Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse Live Updates (November 18): Rescuers, in their efforts to reach workers trapped for nearly a week in a collapsed highway tunnel in Uttarakhand, faced a temporary setback and are now anticipating the arrival of a second digging machine on Saturday to resume operations. The disaster management office has updated the number of people trapped in the tunnel in the state to 41, revising it from the initial count of 40 since Sunday morning. Authorities have assured that all individuals are safe. On Friday, work came to a halt when rescue workers attempting to restart the drilling machine heard a “large-scale cracking sound,” as reported by the state-run National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation. Meanwhile, as rescue efforts continue in Uttarakhand at the Silkyara tunnel site, officials announced on Friday that an Indian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft has been dispatched to airlift approximately 22 tonnes of essential equipment from Indore to Dehradun. With dedicated efforts around the clock, rescue workers, utilising a powerful machine, have successfully drilled through up to 24 meters of debris in the Silkyara tunnel by Friday afternoon. This progress brings them closer to reaching the 40 labourers who have been trapped inside for five days. It was around 5.30 am on Sunday that the under-construction tunnel on the Yamunotri National Highway, meant to connect Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, collapsed. While officials say the men are safe – communication has been established via walkie-talkies and they are being supplied food and oxygen via a pipe meant to supply water. People trapped inside the tunnel are labourers hailing from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, as per the District Emergency Operation Centre.