The equipment busted while it was being pulled back after a new obstruction was observed at the mouth of the pipes on Friday evening.
The mission to rescue the 41 workers trapped in an under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand encountered another snag as the auger machine being used to drill broke inside the rescue pipes on Friday, reported The Indian Express. The drilling process will now have to be done manually.
A part of an under-construction tunnel on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed in the early hours of November 12. The tunnel is part of the Char Dham Road Project to build all-weather roads in Uttarakhand.
Following this, a multi-agency operation involving the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Sutluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited began to rescue the trapped workers.
The rescue team had planned to drill through the 60 metres of debris blocking the tunnel by using a large machine with an auger.
