Uttarakhand Tunnel Crash: Know Top 5 Evacuation Mission By India That Is Etched In History Forever

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On Sunday morning, 12 November, a portion of an under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway collapsed, trapping around 41 workers inside. They are from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

Immediately, personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and police launched a search and rescue operation after being informed of the accident.

After being trapped for 8 days in Uttarkashi, on Monday, 20 November, a six-inch wide pipeline was pushed through the rubbles of the collapsed tunnel to supply larger quantities of food and other essentials to workers.

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Be it conflicts, crises, or natural disasters, time and again the Indian Government has launched several successful missions to rescue the citizens. Let us know the top 5 rescue mission by India that is etched in the pages of history forever.

Operation Devi Shakti (2021)
This complex operation was conducted by the Indian Armed Forces to evacuate Indian citizens and foreign nationals from Afghanistan after the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul on 16 August 2021. After the pulling out of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban and allied militant groups began a widespread offensive. India evacuated over 800 people amid a deteriorating security situation in Kabul and surrounding areas.

Operation Samudra Setu (2020)
This operation was launched on 05 May 2020, as a part of the national effort to repatriate Indian citizens from overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this mission, 3,993 Indian citizens came back to their homeland by sea. Indian Naval Ships Jalashwa (Landing Platform Dock), and Airavat, Shardul, and Magar (Landing Ship Tanks) participated in this operation. Samudra Setu operation lasted for over 55 days and it involved traversing more than 23,000 km by sea. Similar evacuation operations as part of Operation Sukoon in 2006 (Beirut) and Operation Rahat in 2015 (Yemen).

Operation Sankat Mochan (2016)
This was an 'Airlift' moment for 156 Indians and foreign nationals who were rescued overnight from conflict-torn Sudan by the Indian Air Force during the South Sudanese Civil War. Gen VK Singh personally supervised the entire rescue operation. The operation was carried out in view of the 2016 Juba clashes. Two C-17 Globemasters of the Indian Air Force were deployed to evacuate. The massive C17 of the Indian Air Force first made a stop at Trivandrum before heading to the Palam technical area in the national capital.

Operation Maitri (2015)
This was a rescue and relief operation in Nepal by the government of India and Indian armed forces in the aftermath of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. India sent 43 tons of relief materials which included tents and food on 26 April 2015. The Indian Air Force evacuated over 500 citizens from Nepal late Saturday through Sunday morning, and hundreds more on Sunday. Ten flights were planned for this mission. This mission also involved Nepali ex-servicemen from India's Gurkha Regiments for interface for guidance, relief, and rescue.

Operation Raahat (2015)
This was an operation of the Indian Armed Forces to evacuate Indian citizens and foreign nationals from Yemen during the 2015 military intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies in that country during the Yemeni Crisis. The evacuation by sea began in April 2015 from the port of Aden. Due to this operation, more than 4,640 Indian citizens in Yemen along with 960 foreign nationals from 41 countries were rescued.