Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: Trapped brothers unaware of cousins' death, family says 'don’t want them to know'
A dedicated 41-bed ward has been established at the Community Health Centre in Chinyalisaur for the evacuees from the Silkyara tunnel, with a fleet of 41 ambulances ready for transport.
Stranded in the tunnel in Uttarkashi's Silkyara, Rajendra Bediya and his two brothers have no clue that he has lost two of his cousins in an accident.
As per a report by Times of India (TOI), Rajendra Bediya, aged 22, along with his two brothers, Anil Bediya (22), and Sukhram Bediya (23), residents of Khairabera village in Ranchi district's Oremanjhi block, find themselves trapped in the Uttarkashi tunnel.
On Tuesday evening, Dinesh Bediya and Shankar Bediya, both in their twenties and cousins of stranded workers in the Uttarkashi tunnel, allegedly lost their lives in an accident. The incident occurred when a speeding truck, under the driver's loss of control, overturned and collided with three other vehicles, including a car and a tractor, on NH-33, TOI reported.
The impact of the collision resulted in the immediate demise of both Dinesh (22) and Shankar (29), who were travelling on the tractor, according to the report.
“Dinesh and Shankar, who were more than blood brothers for them, are gone,” tribal woman Phool Kumari Devi told TOI.
“We don’t want them to know anything yet. We are now praying for their life and hoping they will come back walking, and not in an ambulance,” said another villager to TOI.
On early Thursday, the concluding phase of rescue operations at the Silkyara tunnel was initiated, marking the insertion of the final pipe to establish an escape passage for the trapped workers through the debris.
As reported by PTI, officials have ensured that comprehensive arrangements are in place to promptly administer medical care to the workers following their successful evacuation.
Meanwhile, Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to PMO said on Thursday that Uttarkashi tunnel rescuers cut through iron mesh that blocked drilling last night.
Late on Wednesday, the drilling of 800 mm diameter steel pipes faced a minor setback as some iron rods obstructed the auger machine's progress through the rubble.
Prepared for the evacuees from the Silkyara tunnel, a dedicated 41-bed ward has been established at the Community Health Centre in Chinyalisaur. Outside the tunnel, a fleet of 41 ambulances stands ready to swiftly transport the evacuees to the health center as soon as they emerge.
Meanwhile, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announced on Wednesday its intention to conduct a safety audit for all 29 under-construction tunnels nationwide. This audit aims to ensure stringent safety measures and adherence to the highest quality standards, according to an official statement.
The 29 under-construction tunnels, encompassing a combined length of approximately 79 km, are distributed across various states in the country. Among these, there are 12 tunnels in Himachal Pradesh, six in Jammu and Kashmir, and two each in Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan. Additionally, there is one tunnel each in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi.
(With inputs from agencies)
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