Page 4 - Accident

U'khand tunnel rescue: Manual drilling will start once Auger removed

The ongoing operation to rescue workers, who were trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed on November 12, entered its 14th day on Saturday

U'khand tunnel rescue: Option of manual drilling being considered

With the auger machine encountering hurdles in the rubble time and again, rescuers are considering switching over to manual drilling at the Silkyara tunnel where 41 labourers have been trapped for the past 13 days, officials said on Saturday. Drilling at the collapsed portion of the tunnel to rescue the trapped men was halted again on Friday night, in yet another setback to the multi-agency effort. An official said the auger drilling machine faced a hurdle, apparently a metal object, a little after drilling resumed Friday, a day after officials had put the operation on hold following technical problems. With one hurdle or the other not letting the auger machine drill further and lay steel pipes through the rubble to prepare an escape route for the trapped workers, the option of manual drilling is being considered, an official said. However, he said, manual drilling takes longer time. The multi-agency rescue effort began November 12 when a portion of the under-construction tunnel o

U'khand tunnel rescue: NDRF conducts evacuation rehearsal using stretchers

The NDRF on Friday conducted a rehearsal of how it would take its wheeled stretchers through the chute being prepared to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel. An NDRF personnel went through the passage, pushing a wheeled stretcher tied to a rope at the end of the tunnel and was pulled back up after completing the stretch. A passage has been made using 800 mm diameter steel pipes through the rubble at the tunnel to rescue the workers who have been trapped inside for the past 12 days. An NDRF personnel who went into the passage was lying on the wheeled stretcher facing downwards. There was enough room inside the pipes and he had no difficulty in breathing during the exercise, he said. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has been camping at Matli since Thursday to closely monitor the rescue operations. A temporary camp of the chief minister's office has been set up there to help him perform his daily duties. The drilling and pushing pipes through the rubble has n

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Rescue team to start drilling at 11 am today

The rescue team has placed broad pipes up to a depth of 45 metres through the debris

Union Min VK Singh reaches Uttarkashi tunnel site to inspect rescue ops

Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, General (retd) VK Singh, reached the Silkyara tunnel site on Friday to take stock of the ongoing efforts to rescue 41 trapped workers.The workers have now been trapped for 13 days on the opposite end of a portion of the under-construction tunnel, which collapsed on November 12.The rescue operations entered its final phase on Thursday, with officials saying that only a few metres were left to be drilled for the rescuers to reach the trapped workers.However, due to another technical snag in the auger drilling machine, which had been specially requisitioned for cutting through the debris, the rescue operations were briefly halted on Thursday.The rescuers drilled up to 46.8 metres inside the Silkyara tunnel till 10.20 pm on Thursday."Currently, the drilling machine is being repaired and it will take a few more hours to get it going again. Unless fresh problems crop up, the rescue operation should resume after 9 am tomorrow," an .

Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: Drilling work on hold at Silkyara tunnel

Pipe laid through the rubble to prepare an escape route for workers trapped at the Silkyara tunnel remained stalled on Friday morning with the platform on which the drilling machine stands being stabilised by shotcreting, an official said. Boring through the rubble was put on hold again Thursday apparently after cracks appeared in the platform on which the drilling machine rests, in a fresh hurdle to the rescue of 41 workers trapped inside for 12 days. The dampener came hours after the operation resumed earlier in the day, following a six-hour delay to cut through an iron girder that came in the way of the auger machine late Wednesday night. This is the third time that the drilling exercise has been halted since the multi-agency rescue mission began on November 12 after a stretch of the under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand's Char Dham route collapsed.

Himalaya tunnel disaster: India needs more caution on infrastructure

This is clearly an incredibly fragile part of the world, where large-scale development projects can only be conducted with the utmost caution

Steel rods blocking rescue efforts removed at Slikyara Tunnel collapse site

According to Kulbe one of the main hindrances, the presence of steel rods along the path of the rescue pipes have now been removed

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Laying of 12-metre pipeline still left

The workers have been trapped since November 12, when the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot got blocked due to debris falling in a 60-meter stretch on the Silkyara side

U'khand tunnel collapse exposes callous attitude towards safety: Unions

Central trade unions said the Silkyara Tunnel collapse in Uttarakashi in which 41 workers remain trapped "exposes the callous attitude" of the government towards the occupational safety and health of the workers. "The Platform of Central Trade Unions and Sectoral Federations/Associations express their anguish at the failure of the authorities to take responsibility for the Silkyara Tunnel collapse in Uttarakashi, Uttarakhand," said a joint statement issued by eleven trade unions and sectoral federations. The signatories include Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), United Trade Union Congress (UTUC), and independent Sectoral Federations and ...

Crash kills 2 at Niagara Fall's Rainbow border bridge, no sign of terrorism

A vehicle speeding toward a US-Canada bridge from the American side crashed and exploded at a checkpoint in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, killing two people and prompting the closing of multiple border crossings for hours. Authorities weren't sure what spurred the wreck but said there were no signs it was a terror attack. Much remained unclear about the incident at the Rainbow Bridge, which stirred concerns on both sides of the border as the US headed into the Thanksgiving holiday. Both US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were briefed soon afterward, and Trudeau excused himself from Question Period in the House of Commons to get further information, saying officials were "taking this extraordinarily seriously". A few hours later, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and western New York's US attorney, Trini Ross, both sought to ease fears, while cautioning that the investigation was in the early stages. "Based on what we know at this moment," Hochul said at a .

U'khand tunnel collapse: Rescuers drill halfway towards 41 trapped workers

The men have been stuck in the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on Nov. 12 and are safe, said authorities

Tunnel collapse: 6-inch-wide pipe pushed through rubble to send food

Earlier, a four-inch tube was being used to supply food such as dry fruit, medicines and oxygen into the section of the tunnel beyond the rubble

Uttarakhand govt to bear travel expenses of relatives of trapped workers

The Uttarakhand government will bear the travel, food and lodging expenses of relatives of the 41 workers trapped at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district for over a week. Assuring the families of the trapped workers that they will be rescued soon, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said officials have been asked to stay in touch with the relatives of the trapped workers so that they do not face any inconvenience. The state government will bear the expenses of people who want to visit Silkyara to enquire about their well being, he said. Psychiatrists have also been roped in to maintain the morale of the trapped workers, the chief minister said. Rescue operations are being carried out on a war footing since portions of the tunnel collapsed following a landslide early on November 12, leaving 41 workers trapped behind a huge mound of debris. The Silkyara tunnel, about 30 km from the district headquarters of Uttarkashi and a seven-hour drive from the Uttarakhand capital

Tunnel collapse: Rescue halted, another machine from Indore to reach today

The workers have been trapped for six days, counting Saturday, after a portion of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel caved in on November 12

Road accidents in India at decade low, but number of fatalities up

70% accidents caused by over-speeding; two-wheeler riders, pedestrians among most vulnerable

Chicago commuter train crashes into rail equipment, 40 injured: Officials

A Chicago commuter train collided with rail equipment on Thursday morning, injuring nearly 40 people, some of them critically, fire officials said. The Chicago Fire Department said the Chicago Transit Authority train crashed into snow-removal equipment just before 10.35 am on the city's North Side near the Howard CTA station. The Yellow Line train carrying 31 commuters and seven CTA workers was southbound from Skokie when it collided with the slower-moving rail equipment, said Robert Jurewicz, the Chicago Fire Department's second district chief. Thirty-eight people, including four children, were injured. Twenty-three were taken to area hospitals and three of those injured were in critical condition, although no one suffered life-threatening injuries, said Keith Gray, assistant deputy chief paramedic. The train's operator was among the most seriously hurt, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The children suffered bumps and bruises, the newspaper reported. He said the 15 others who were

Tunnel collapse: Workers hold protest over delay in rescuing operations

Workers, family members and others held a protest outside the under-construction tunnel at Silkyara on Wednesday over the delay in rescuing labourers trapped inside for the last three days. The protestors vented their anger over the absence of an alternative plan when the machines deployed for drilling the rubble to prepare an escape passage for trapped labourers did not work on Tuesday evening. Falling debris from a fresh landslide on Tuesday hampered efforts to insert steel pipes through the collapsed part of the tunnel. According to officials, all workers are reported safe, and communication has been established. They are also being provided ration and other essentials through pipes. The arrival of a replacement machine from Delhi is being awaited by rescuers for the resumption of the drilling operation. Nearly 40 workers have been trapped behind debris for over 72 hours since a portion of an under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri

Uttarkashi tunnel accident: 40 labourers still trapped, rescue effort on

MoRTH proposes installation of inbuilt collision warning system in 4-Ws

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed the installation of an inbuilt 'moving off information system' (MOIS) in certain category of four-wheelers passenger and commercial vehicles to reduce the possibility of collision with pedestrians and cyclists in close proximity. MoRTH in a draft titled 'Approval of motor vehicles with regard to the Moving Off Information System for the Detection of Pedestrians and Cyclists' has specified the automotive industry standard for MOIS and will be notified after public consultation. Moving Off Information System (MOIS) means a system to detect and inform the driver of the presence of pedestrians and cyclists in the close proximity and if deemed necessary, based on manufacturer strategy, warn the driver of a potential collision. "Low-speed moving off from rest manoeuvres that involve collisions between M2, M3, N2 and N3 vehicle category vehicles (subject vehicles) and pedestrians and cyclists have serious consequences for the