Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally reached out to the workers rescued from the collapsed Uttarkashi tunnel, expressing appreciation for the successful operation. All workers gathered in a room, engaging with the Prime Minister over the phone. Modi commended the rescue team’s efforts and lauded the trapped workers’ courage and patience, wishing them good health.
The collapsed tunnel, part of the Char Dham project, faced a challenging rescue mission initiated on November 12. The final operation involved specialized miners, accomplishing the last 12-meter stretch in less than 24 hours after high-tech machines faltered.
The extraction process, commencing at 8 pm, took around an hour, considering each worker’s re-acclimatization to surface conditions. Specially modified stretchers were manually lowered through a two-meter-wide pipe drilled into the hillside. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami welcomed the workers as they emerged, hugging them at the site.
Upon exiting the tunnel, the workers were greeted with garlands, sweets, and cheers. Ambulances, numbering 41 for each worker, transported them to emergency medical facilities in Chinyalisaur, around 30 km away, marking the end of their 17-day ordeal.
