the last one decline He added several chapters to the Indian tunnel saga while the climax was already being written. Rescuers put into action Plan B, which could have delayed by a month the 41 workers’ departure from the interior of the mountain, where they had already spent two weeks. Studies on the subject are currently ongoing vertical drilling Although it is preferred because it is fast and safe, there is a horizontal regression after the chain.
57 meters long wall rocks, cement and metal It separates the workers from the mouth of the tunnel. Its durability has surprised experts and has already retired three drilling rigs. The arrival of the last of them, a powerful mastodon of American technology, on military planes from New Delhi (India) set the victorious chronicles in motion. He made slight progress in the final dozen meters on Thursday, and officials predicted the feat would happen within “a few hours.” bankrupt the platform that holds it. The next day, an already repaired metal obstacle broke its leaves. Opinion came from Arnold Dix, the mission’s field expert and supervisor: “It’s broken, it can’t be fixed. “Once again the mountain resisted the machine.” It has already been removed and the work is now manual, more challenging and slower, with no clear idea of when the 90 centimeter pipe the workers have to slide out can be placed.
So on Sunday rescuers activated one of them. alternative routes. It consists of drilling into the mountain from the forested hill under which the tunnel is built. The vertical option was underestimated until the horizontal option chained setbacks. A hundred meters of drilling must be done in twice the second time until the well is cleared, from which workers will be lifted with buckets. But it is especially dangerous, and not just for those stranded. The vibrations can destabilize the land and cause further landslides in the residential area that collects them.
various holes
More than thirty meters of drilling has been done in a few days, and if all goes well, forecasts point to Thursday. But the condition is necessary, and the fragility of the mountain requires finesse. Officials acknowledged it could take weeks, and Dix remained cautious. “It may take some time, maybe even a month (…) speed up not the process recommendable. “The priority is for these men to return safely and I believe they will be home for Christmas,” he said.
These 41 men, immigrants labor It is trapped in a two-kilometer-long and nine-high segment of rural provinces. They communicated with rescue workers and their families via radio and received information. oxygen, small foods, water and medications through a small pipe. According to the Reuters agency, they were also sent two mobile phones and memory cards containing Indian movies and electronic games. Doctors have recommended gallery walks, yoga, meditation and conversations with colleagues to combat anxiety, and so far no more serious problems have been reported. dizziness and vomiting. More than a dozen doctors, including psychologists, talk to them and monitor their health from the mouth of the tunnel. Deep in the mountain, they are safe from the freezing temperatures of the Himalayas. Storms and snowfall expected in the coming days may disrupt rescue efforts, but authorities say they will know how to deal with the problem.
The five-kilometre tunnel is part of the controversial Char Dham project, which aims to improve connections with famous Hindu temples and strategic border areas with China. Prime Minister and Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi defended this against those who warned of the soil’s weakening. The committee of experts investigating the disaster announced on Friday that the tunnel had no emergency exit and was built on a geological fault.