Uttarkashi, 26 Nov: The responsibility of manual drilling has been assigned to the Indian Army. This mission will be carried out by the Madras Sappers, a 20-member unit chosen by senior officers.
On Sunday, a plasma cutter was rushed in from Hyderabad to remove the auger equipment that was caught in the rubble within the Silkyara tunnel. For the officials to proceed with the rescue effort and personally dig through the rubble, the auger equipment must be completely disengaged.
A section of the drill machine was also sent to the top of the hill, just above the tunnel, for vertical drilling.
According to Chris Cooper, a micro tunneling expert, they are continuing cutting the auger and are doing it for the time being with an auger cutter. “There is roughly 16 metres of auger to cut…It (plasma machine) is advantageous because it cuts the steel faster,” Cooper explained.
