Rescue operations are underway to evacuate the eight workers trapped in Telangana’s Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is advancing into the tunnel to evacuate the workers who have been trapped for nearly 48 hours.
Telangana Minister J Krishna Rao told reporters that the chances of survival under the circumstances are “not that good.” “Muck has piled up too high inside the tunnel, making it impossible to walk through. They (rescuers) are using rubber tubes and wooden planks to navigate through it,” PTI quoted Rao, who went inside the tunnel.
Telangana tunnel collapse rescue updates
On Saturday morning, a three-meter section of the roof of an under-construction stretch of the SLBC tunnel collapsed at the 14 km mark near Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district, Telangana.
The collapse occurred just four days after construction work had resumed following a lengthy hiatus. While some workers managed to escape, the eight remained trapped.
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Here are the top 10 updates on the Telangana tunnel collapse rescue:-
1. NDRF officials told news agency ANI that the response team is currently working to remove the accumulated water inside the tunnel. But, due to debris blocking the area, the team is unable to confirm the workers’ exact location.
2. NDRF Deputy Commandant Sukhendu Datta told ANI the force had covered around 13.5 kilometres inside the tunnel, primarily using locomotives and conveyor belts. “Yesterday around 10 PM, we went inside to check what the situation was like,” he said.
3. According to the NDRF official, the yeam covered 13.5 kilometre after entering the tunnel from the gate. “We covered 11 km by train and then the rest of 2 km by conveyor belt and by walking,” Datta added.
4. The official added that the last 200 meters of the collapsed section are completely blocked by debris, making it difficult to confirm the condition or exact location of the trapped workers.
5. “We had reached till the end of the Tunnel Boring Machine, TBM. We shouted and tried to get any reply from the trapped workers but unfortunately we could not know anything because there is a patch of around 200 meters which is filled with debris. Till the debris is cleared we cannot know the exact location of the victims,” the NDRF deputy commandant said.
6. According to NDRF, the patch between the 11 to 13 km is filled with water. After the water is removed, rescue operations will begin.
7. Both the NDRF and SDRF teams faced challenges in reaching the collapsed section. “There’s no chance to go to the spot inside the tunnel. It has completely collapsed and mud is reaching up to the knees. We will have to take another step,” an SDRF official said.
8. According to PTI, the trapped persons have been identified as Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh (J&K), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab) and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahu, all from Jharkhand. Of the eight, two are engineers, two operators and four labourers.
9. Jharkhand health minister Irfan Ansari said that he is closely monitoring the situation following the collapse of the SLBC tunnel in Telangana, where eight labourers, including those from Jharkhand, are reportedly trapped. “I am constantly in contact with the Secretary there (in Telangana). CM Hemant Soren has spoken to the Telangana CM (Revanth Reddy). As per the information, four to five labourers from Jharkhand are stuck there. I am monitoring the situation,” Ansari told ANI.
10. The Engineer Task Force (ETF) of the Bison Division of Indian Army from Secunderabad has been deployed in the rescue operations, a defence release was quoted by PTI. “The Indian Army is working closely with all stakeholders for expediting the rescue efforts. Indian Army’s priority remains the swift and safe extraction of those trapped inside,’ the statement said.
(With PTI, ANI inputs)