Lam Dong hydroelectric tunnel collapse: Additional auxiliary tunnel to be dug.
Following an emergency meeting of the rescue command center at the scene on the afternoon of December 18th, Deputy Minister of Construction Le Quang Hung, who chaired the meeting, announced that a second auxiliary tunnel would be dug to expedite rescue operations.
Therefore, in the collapsed hydroelectric water tunnel, rescue forces will excavate two rescue tunnels on either side of the tunnel walls to quickly bypass the collapsed section and reach the area where 12 workers are trapped.
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Colonel Ty also proposed installing a system of steel pipes with a diameter of approximately 50-60cm along the main tunnel to serve as an escape route for rescue forces in case of further collapses. This proposal received strong support from the leaders of Lam Dong province and the ministries, departments, and units involved in the tunnel collapse rescue operation, because in addition to successfully rescuing the 12 trapped workers, ensuring the safety of the rescue force, which has now reached approximately 500 people, is also crucial.
Currently, the health of the 12 workers trapped in the tunnel is reported to be stable. At the location of the first ventilation shaft (drilled on the evening of December 16th), used for communication and providing oxygen and nutrition to the victims, rescue personnel are on duty 24/7 to maintain contact and monitor the situation of the victims.
Following an inspection of the tunnel on the morning of December 18th, Ms. Pham Thi Bach Yen, Director of the Lam Dong Department of Health, stated that the provision of oxygen and nutrition to the victims is being continuously carried out. The health sector has coordinated with the engineering corps and police to survey and prepare a field site for first aid as soon as the victims are rescued. Although the tunnel is still flooded, the forces are ready to provide assistance to the victims.
Thus, rescue efforts following the tunnel collapse at the Da Dang-Da Chomo hydropower plant (Lat commune, Lac Duong district, Lam Dong province) continue urgently, racing against time on the third day after the incident occurred.
On the morning of December 18th, engineering troops, police, and workers from the mine rescue center ( thuộc TKV) were continuing to excavate a bypass rescue tunnel around the collapsed section, drilling additional drainage holes from all three sides: front, top, and back of the tunnel.
Drainage efforts are continuing, and according to rescue workers, the water level has dropped by about 30cm, compared to the 1.2m flood level on the evening of December 17th.
In addition, the drilling operation from behind the tunnel to create a drainage channel was expected to penetrate a 60-meter section of rock and soil by noon on December 18th, but due to the complex geological structure, it is still not complete.
According to VNA
