SLBC Tunnel Collapse: Damaged conveyor belt made operational

This is expected to speed up the removal of silt and debris from the tunnel and in turn, help the rescuers trace the missing eight persons.

Hyderabad: Even as seismology experts joined the rescue operations at the SLBC tunnel collapse site, the damaged conveyor belt was repaired and made operational on Tuesday. This is expected to speed up the removal of silt and debris from the tunnel and in turn, help the rescuers trace the missing eight persons.

The conveyor belt was damaged following the tunnel roof collapse on February 22, and had hampered the clearance of debris for the last 11 days. With it coming into operation, the removal of debris will be done faster, while the de-watering process is also on even as water continued to seep in.

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According to officials, a South Central Railway (SCR) team, including metal cutting experts, had cut the platform of the damaged Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) inside the tunnel. The damaged machine was another major impediment in the rescue operations.

However, there remained no trace of the eight persons who were trapped in the tunnel and were missing since though the rescue operations have been going on in three shifts every day.

Nagarkurnool Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Gaikwad told news agencies that the government was exploring the option of deploying robots in the rescue operation to prevent any threat to the rescue personnel. Large quantities of slush and water inside the tunnel posed a challenge to the teams involved in the rescue operation, he said.

Experts from the NDRF, Indian Army, Navy and other agencies are also involved in the continuing efforts.