Employing a C-17 and two C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, the Indian
Air Force airlifted 36 tonne of critical equipment on Monday, continuing to
lend assistance to efforts being made to rescue workers trapped in a partially
collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, officials said.
Rescuers pushed through a six-inch-wide pipeline through the rubble of
the collapsed tunnel, a breakthrough that will help them supply larger
quantities of food and possibly allow live visuals of the 41 workers trapped
inside for eight days.
So far, a four-inch existing tube was being used to supply oxygen and
items like dry fruit and medicines into the section of the tunnel beyond the
rubble of the collapsed portion of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel on
the Char Dham route in Uttarakhand.
The IAF has been ferrying heavy machineries to aid rescue operations at
the tunnel site.
“IAF assistance for the rescue operations at Uttarkashi continues
unabated. Employing a C-17 and two C-130 J aircraft, the IAF airlifted another
36 tonnes of critical equipment today. IAF #HADROps will continue until all the
equipment is delivered,” the Indian Air Force posted on X.
It also shared images of some critical equipment being loaded in an IAF
aircraft.
IAF officials on Friday had said that a C-17 transport aircraft had been
deployed to airlift almost 22 tonne of critical equipment from Indore to
Dehradun.
PTI
