A Saved Worker Tells How They Managed To Maintain Optimism Throughout The 17-day Ordeal

During their long confinement inside an Uttarakhand tunnel, the trapped workers began playing games such as ‘Raja Mantri Chor Sipahi’ to distract themselves and keep despair at bay, one of the rescued workers told.

Pushkar Singh Ari, from Champavat in Uttarakhand, is currently being treated at the makeshift hospital near the tunnel after he was rescued with 41 others last night. After a 17-day operation with multiple setbacks that kept the nation on edge, workers left the tunnel.

When asked when they could return home, he said over the phone, “Nothing has been confirmed yet. We have been told we may be taken to AIIMS Rishikesh for CT scans. Our condition is being monitored 24 hours per day.” Mr Ari said his brother Vikram is with him at the hospital.

Mr Ari recounted his harrowing experience, saying the hours before rescue teams managed to contact them were very difficult. As he said, “We had no hope at all. We could not comprehend the situation, we were blank.”

Also Read: Workers Locked In Uttarakhand Tunnel for More Than 150 Hours, Worried Families

In the section of the tunnel in which they were trapped, Mr Ari said there was electricity. We had no oxygen. The only source of water was the water dripping through the tunnel from the mountains. There was no drinking water,” he said.

According to Mr Ari, the collapse occurred around 5 am, and their company was able to contact them around midnight.

When asked how they managed to stay upbeat, he said, “Most of us were youngsters, but seniors too. We supported one another. We figured that anxiety and fear would not help. So we helped each other out. Someone collected water, someone laid out blankets.”

According to Mr. Ari, among those stranded inside were foremen, machine operators, plumbers, and electricians. “Those who were qualified to handle any problem intervened. This is how we made ends meet.”

He explained, “The first several hours we just tried to get in touch with our company outside.” about how they passed these depressing hours. We created playing cards as soon as that occurred and we were able to obtain food and oxygen.

 We began to play games like Raja Mantri Chor Sipahi that we used to play as kids. The days of my childhood sort of came back.” They were also able to play cricket, he continued. “We stuffed fabric into our socks and rolled them up, much like we used to do in our village as kids. Additionally, there were sticks that functioned as bats in the tunnel.”