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Telangana Tunnel Collapse: The situation remains grim for the workers trapped inside the collapsed section of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district. Despite relentless rescue operations involving multiple agencies, hopes of retrieving the workers safely are fading. Authorities have now enlisted experts from the team that successfully conducted the Silkyara tunnel rescue operation in November 2023 to aid in the efforts.
Massive Rescue Operation Underway
A large-scale rescue mission is in progress to locate and extricate the trapped workers. According to a report by The Indian Express, the rescue team includes 128 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 120 from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), 24 from the Indian Army, and 23 personnel from Singareni Collieries.
Speaking to IE on Sunday evening, NDRF Commandant Prasanna Kumar provided an update on the situation. “The tunnel, which was earlier filled with water, has been dewatered, but the removal of slush is proving to be a slow and arduous task. The team is progressing in a zig-zag manner,” Kumar explained.
Telangana Tunnel Collapse: Three Possible Rescue Strategies Considered
Telangana Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that authorities are evaluating three potential methods to reach the trapped workers. “One option is drilling a hole from above into the SLBC tunnel, another is drilling from the side, and the third involves desilting the area to remove accumulated silt,” Reddy said.
Telangana Minister J. Krishna Rao, who personally entered the tunnel, painted a grim picture of the situation. “The muck inside the tunnel has piled up to an alarming level, making it extremely challenging for rescuers to navigate. The situation looks bleak,” he told reporters, as per a report by PTI.
To move through the tunnel, rescuers have resorted to using rubber tubes and wooden planks, highlighting the treacherous conditions inside.
No Communication with Trapped Telangana Tunnel Collapse Workers
Rescue teams have managed to advance approximately 13 kilometers into the tunnel. However, despite calling out the names of the eight missing workers, they have received no response, PTI reported, citing sources. So far, no communication has been established with the trapped workers.
The eight workers trapped inside the collapsed tunnel have been identified as:
- Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas (Uttar Pradesh)
- Sunny Singh (Jammu & Kashmir)
- Gurpreet Singh (Punjab)
- Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahu (Jharkhand)
Among them, two are engineers, while the remaining six are laborers.
Also Read: Telangana Tunnel Collapse: Indian Army Joins Rescue Operations For Eight Trapped Workers
