Auger machine blades stuck inside tunnel debris, plasma cutter needed

The blades of the auger machine deployed to drill through the debris of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel have got stuck in the rubble, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Saturday.

He was briefing reporters about the latest hurdle in the operation to rescue 41 workers trapped in the tunnel for the past 13 days.

He said a portion of the blades has been cut through and a plasma cutter is being airlifted from Hyderabad to complete the rest of the job.