WE WERE CONFIDENT PM WOULD ENSURE OUR RESCUE: TUNNEL WORKER

Amidst the despair and uncertainty that enveloped the Silkyara tunnel collapse, the trapped workers clung to hope as their lifeline. For 17 agonising days, they endured the darkness, the silence, and the fear of the unknown, their spirits buoyed by an unwavering belief in their eventual rescue.

- RAHUL CHHABRA

The two-km tunnel length that was available to the trapped workers gave them enough space to pray, practise yoga and play cards and cricket—activities that kept negative thoughts away. Besides communicating with the rescue team and family members on the surface, one thing that kept them going through the ordeal was their collective belief and resilience, even when there was no food for the initial 15 hours of the tragedy.

It was around daybreak on Diwali day that the tunnel around them rumbled and for almost half an hour the debris continued to fall, closing the exit.

Rescued worker Bisweswar Nayak said, “The tunnel fell silent around 8 a.m. and we knew we were trapped. My first thoughts went to my family, wondering if I would ever see them again.”

As the nation prayed for their well-being, the trapped workers saw light at the end of the tunnel after 17 days.
Gabbar Singh Negi, another trapped worker, said he was afraid in the initial phase of the tragedy but was hopeful of being rescued. “We were confident that the Prime Minister would rescue us. After all he has done so even for Indians trapped in foreign lands,” he said.