The focus is on horizontal drilling to bring out alive all the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi and vertical drilling will only be the second-best option, said officials on Tuesday.
Briefing reporters on the rescue efforts, National Disaster Management Authority member Lt General (Retd) Syed Atta Hasnain said that simultaneous efforts are being made on five fronts to save these trapped workers.
He further said that the “focus is on horizontal drilling” as rock formation has created challenges for vertical drilling.
Anurag Jain, Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said that under the current circumstances “vertical drilling is the second-best option”.