3 Snags In 3 Days, Changing Timelines: The Tunnel Rescue Operation So Far

Unexpected obstacles have ensured that the best-laid plans of the rescue teams have been foiled.

Saturday marked the 14th day since 41 labourers got trapped after a portion of an under-construction tunnel collapsed in Uttarakhand. The rescue operation, which began on the day of the collapse itself, has seen many rays of hope and several timelines stated by officials when the workers were "just hours away" from being saved. 

Unexpected obstacles have, however, ensured that the best-laid plans of the rescue teams have been foiled and efforts to save the trapped workers will now resume only on Sunday, after the American drilling machine, which faced its third snag in as many days on Friday, is extracted from the tunnel. "This operation could take a long time," National Disaster Management Authority member Lt Gen (retd) said on Saturday.

"When you are working on a mountain, everything is unpredictable. We never gave any timeline," he added.