silkyara-tunnel-workers-airlifted-to-aiims-rishikesh-for-medical-assessment

Workers rescued from the Silkyara tunnel were airlifted to AIIMS-Rishikesh for a health check-up on Wednesday, officials said. Forty-one workers were rescued from the collapsed tunnel in Uttarkashi after a gruelling 17-day operation that culminated on Tuesday evening. The workers were kept under medical observation at a hospital in Chinyalisaur after their evacuation.

An official at AIIMS-Rishikesh said the workers will first be taken to the trauma ward of the hospital from where they will be shifted to the disaster ward for a detailed examination of their health parameters.The disaster ward of AIIMS-Rishikesh has a capacity of 100 beds. All arrangements are ready at the facility to tend to the evacuated workers, he said.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, while speaking to reporters, said that \"All of them were healthy. They crawled out of the passage rather than being carried on stretchers,\" The agency they are working for and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) have been asked to allow them to go home for 15-20 days, the chief minister added.

Dhami also said the evacuation began with the youngest of the labourers. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his constant support and motivation during the rescue operation. The chief minister announced that Rs 1 lakh will be given to each of the 41 construction workers.

He also said the Baukhnag temple at the mouth of the temple will be rebuilt and the tunnels under construction in the hill state reviewed. The Union government has decided to conduct a safety audit of the under-construction tunnels, Dhami said.  

The workers hailed from different regions across the nation. Celebrations followed the news of their successful rescue. 

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