Two from Assam among 41 workers rescued from Uttarakhand tunnel

Guwahati: Of the 41 workers rescued from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand on Tuesday evening, two are from Assam's Kokrajhar district -- Sanjay Basumatary and Ram Prasad Narzary.

Basumatary and Narzary were among the 41 migrant labourers hailing from different parts of the country, who were trapped inside the under-construction tunnel in Uttarkashi for 17 days after a portion of it collapsed on November 12.

The family members of both Basumatary and Narzary spent anxious moments for the past 17 days in Kokrajhar, which finally ended on Tuesday evening, turning the moment into a joyous occasion as news trickled in that both have been safely evacuated.

The locals distributed sweets among the villagers as the trapped workers were safely brought out of the tunnel.

Narzary’s father Upen Narzary said that for the past 17 days, they performed 'puja' and offered prayers in all the temples and worshiping places in the district.

Soon after their rescue, both Basumatary and Narzary talked to their family members over phone from the Silkyara tunnel site.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in his series tweets thanked the Central government and other agencies which were involved in the challenging rescue operation.

“This also brings me personal relief as with the blessings of Maa Kamakhya, two of our own brothers from Kokrajhar -- Ram Prasad Narzary and Sanjay Basumatary -- have also come out safely. We were constantly in touch with their families through this ordeal,” Sarma said in one of the posts.