As rescue personnel try to reach those trapped, family members say they are hopeful that their loved ones, too, will emerge from the tunnel soon
RAINI VILLAGE (CHAMOLI): As rescue personnel try to evacuate almost 35 workers stuck inside a tunnel at the site of the Tapovan-Vishnugad project of NTPC that suffered heavy damages in Sunday’s flash floods, trepidation and tension hangs in the air outside. The mood is made all the more sombre since relatives of those who are stuck inside – for over 36 hours now – are there at the site, fervently praying that their loved ones are safe.
Oblivious of the muck and slush that the flash floods left behind and the sharp winter chill, 58-year-old Pal Chand looks at the 950 metre-long tunnel which a joint team of ITBP, NDRF, SDRF and Army personnel has been trying to enter since Sunday evening – with hope in his eyes and a prayer on his lips.