The operation to evacuate 41 labourers who were stranded within a partially built tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi, has entered its final leg.

It’s a race against time for India because the workers have been trapped since the tunnel caved in on 12 November.

The last pipe, which will serve as an escape route, is being pushed through the debris while the drilling continues.

By midnight, the men inside and the rescue teams were separated by just 10 metres of debris.

Ambulances are currently waiting outside the tunnel, Delhi-based experts have arrived, and prayers are being offered.

Here’s a look at what’s happening and how the workers will crawl out.

Rescue operation at critical stage

The operation to rescue trapped workers entered its final stretch early Thursday with the last pipe to prepare an escape passage being pushed in through the rubble.

National Disaster Response Force team and technical experts have also reached the site to oversee the operation.

Girish Singh Rawat, one of the rescue team’s officials, has stated that a breakthrough is anticipated in the next hours. He told ANI, “Rescue operation is almost in the last stage, I hope the result will come in one to two hours… pipeline is being inserted to take out the workers… steel pieces that were stuck in the debris were cut and removed.”

International Tunnelling Expert, Arnold Dix has also reached the Silkyara tunnel site. He told ANI, “At the moment, it’s like we are there at the front door and we are knocking on it. We know that the guys are there on the other side. I am going to have a look and see what is happening…”

“Uttarkashi tunnel rescuers will take 12 to 14 hours more to complete drilling and reach workers,” Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to PMO, who is present at the site, said.

The rescue process

The rescue teams said that the workers were stuck and had to be pushed through huge pipes by means of drilling through the debris to escape.

Approaching their final objective, rescuers progressed on Wednesday, drilling through some 45 metres of the debris behind which the men are stuck.

Around 6 pm, the auger machine — which can drill through three metres of trash in an hour — had earlier run against a metal barrier. Following the block’s removal with a metal cutter, the operation continued, according to Rawat.

Over 44 pipes have been inserted after horizontal drilling so far, rescue officer Harpal Singh told the media yesterday.

“We found steel rods in the debris. The machine couldn’t cut those rods. NDRF personnel will cut those rods and use the machine again,” he said.

As drilling continues, wide pipes are being pushed through the debris. Once it is all in, another will be welded to it to prepare an escape passage.

According to Indian Express, once the pipe reaches the trapped workers, a doctor along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), equipped with oxygen kits and ropes, would crawl through to the other side.

The newspaper quoted its sources as saying that low-height stretchers equipped with wheels will be used to reach the trapped workers.

Another NDRF team will remain on the other side until each worker and doctors has been evacuated. The doctors will later transport the evacuees in separate ambulances that is already stationed inside.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) and Indian Railways (IR) collaborated to operate a special train to transport equipment from Gujarat’s Karambeli to Uttarakhand’ Rishikesh. In order to assist rescue operation of 41 trapped workers, a distance of 1605 km was covered, according to Hindustan Times.

Doctors and ambulances on site

However, simply evacuating the workers out of the tunnel is not enough.

They have been trapped for 12 days with only several proper meals. The temperature difference and psychological impact of this confinement is also to be considered.

This is also why, a team of 15 doctors, including chest specialists, has been deployed outside the tunnel in anticipation of the evacuation.

A 41-bed separate ward has been readied at the Community Health Centre in Chinyalisaur, about 30 kilometres from the tunnel site, for Silkyara tunnel evacuees, according to News18. All hospitals in the district as well as AIIMS, Rishikesh are on alert, officials said, as per Hindustan Times.

The workers would go through a detailed medical examination once they reach the hospital.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister Gen. VK Singh are also present on site.

The many obstacles faced by rescuers

Over the past 12 days, the rescue operations met with many difficulties owing to the topography of the Himalayan region and the nature of soil, leading to roadblocks and slow progress in rescue operation.

The most significant hurdle occurred on Friday when a heavy machine drilling into the debris ran into trouble around the 22-metre mark, halting the work. Repairs were made and drilling was resume on Tuesday.

By yesterday evening, a pipe had been inserted up to 45 metres.

Notably, the rescuers were working on five options simultaneously, but one on the Silkyara end turned out to be effective.

With inputs from agencies