Arnold Dix had prayed at the temple outside the tunnel for the safety of the workers
The morning after 41 workers trapped inside an Uttarakhand tunnel were rescued after a 17-day operation, tunnelling expert Arnold Dix said he has to go back to the makeshift temple outside the tunnel "to say thank you".
Mr Dix, who became a familiar sight at the rescue site during the course of the long-drawn operation, said the successful rescue of the trapped workers was a "miracle".
Speaking to news agency ANI this morning, he said, "Remember, I had said 41 people (will be) home, and no one gets hurt, by Christmas. Christmas is coming early. We were calm and we knew exactly what we wanted. We worked as a wonderful team. India has the best engineers. It was a joy to be part of this successful mission."
Mr Dix, the president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association in Geneva besides being a professor and barrister, has been stationed in Uttarkashi ever since the rescue operation began. Assisting rescue teams and briefing the media on the progress of the operation, he received praise for rushing in to help amid this crisis.
Yesterday, a video of Mr Dix praying before the makeshift temple for the safety of the workers won many hearts. "I have to go to the temple because I promised to say thank you for what happened. If you haven't noticed, we have just witnessed a miracle," he said.
The 41 workers were brought out one by one last night following a challenging operation that suffered several setbacks owing to the tricky Himalayan terrain. After a 25-tonne auger machine broke down, manual drilling by rat-hole mining experts achieved the task.
As the trapped workers were brought out, despair turned to joy at their homes. Rescue teams working tirelessly despite all odds also heaved a sigh of relief.
"It's been my honour to serve, and as a parent, it's been my honour to help out all the parents getting their children home," Mr Dix said.
An Australian citizen, Mr Dix also earned praise from his country's envoy in India. Calling the tunnel rescue operation an "immense achievement", Australia's High Commissioner to India Philip Green posted on X, "Special commendation to Australia's Professor Arnold Dix who provided important technical support on the ground."