Families extend gratitude to govt after rescue of 41 workers from tunnel

After 17 days of tense anticipation, relief and happiness enveloped the faces of the family members of 41 trapped workers upon receiving news of their successful rescue from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi on Tuesday evening.

The emotional moment unfolded as the culmination of exhaustive rescue efforts that captured the nation's attention.

The families, enduring prolonged desperation, celebrated the rescue and wholeheartedly thanked the government for bringing their loved ones back.

They marked the occasion by bursting crackers and distributing sweets. Some family members engaged in video conferencing with the workers to ensure their well-being.

Many relatives, who had reached the site a couple of days after the incident and had been camping there since were finally reunited with their loved ones.

Visuals also showed celebrations in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri at the residence of Manjit, another worker who was trapped.

Manjit's father said, "I am very happy that my son has been safely rescued. I thank the Government of India for safely rescuing all the people trapped inside the tunnel."

Similar scenes surfaced in Odisha's Nabarangpur, where family members of Bhagban Batra celebrated their joyous moment by bursting crackers and distributing sweets after his successful rescue from the tunnel.

The mother of rescued worker Dhiren Naik, from Odisha Mayurbhanj, thanked the Government of India for rescuing the workers from the tunnel.

Family members of another worker, Ram Prasad Narzary, looked very happy, and Narzary's wife said, "I am very happy... I thank the Government of India."

Narzary's father said, "I want to thank the Government of India and the Assam government for safely rescuing all the people trapped inside the tunnel... I am relieved after hearing that the rescued have been taken to the hospital."

Family members of a worker named Vishal from Himachal Pradesh, the only worker from the state, also shared her happiness.

Urmila, the mother of Vishal, thanked the governments of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. "I am very happy with the governments of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh; I thank them from the bottom of my heart," she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to the rescued men over the phone. The Mammoth rescue operation was launched after a portion under-construction tunnel from Silkyara end caved in on November 12 trapping 41 workers.

Of the 41 men, 15 are from Jharkhand, two are from Uttarakhand, five are from Bihar, three are from West Bengal, eight are from Uttar Pradesh, five are from Odisha, two are from Assam, and one is from Himachal Pradesh.