Uttarkashi tunnel collapse | Fresh landslide hampers operations

A fresh landslide on Tuesday hampered efforts to insert steel pipes through the rubble of the collapsed tunnel here to bring out the 40 labourers trapped under the debris for two days.

A fresh landslide on Tuesday hampered efforts to insert steel pipes through the rubble of the collapsed tunnel here to bring out the 40 labourers trapped under the debris for two days.

The falling debris injured two rescue workers, who were sent to the makeshift hospital established on the site.

Drilling to insert the pipes to create a passage for the labourers began with the help of an 'auger machine', Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela told reporters earlier.

"If everything goes as planned, the trapped labourers will be evacuated by Wednesday," he had said after visiting the tunnel and taking an update on the operations from officials at the site.

Most of the day went into preparing a platform inside the tunnel to position the auger machine for drilling through the rubble.

However, the rescue work was affected when the landslide caused fresh rubble to fall from above, causing a stampede-like situation that left two labourers injured.

They were sent to the temporary hospital set up near the tunnel, sources said.