SLBC Tunnel Collapse in Telangana: Rescue operation enters third day

More than 72 hours after a portion of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapsed, the fate of eight men, including two engineers and two machine operators, was unknown.

Hyderabad: Three days after a portion of an under-construction tunnel collapsed in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district, rescue operation continued for the eight trapped workers.

Multiple teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army and other agencies continued their efforts on Tuesday even as hopes of finding survivors receding fast.

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More than 72 hours after a portion of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapsed, the fate of eight men, including two engineers and two machine operators, was unknown.

Scores of rescue workers continued their efforts to dewater and desilt the tunnel to reach the point where a portion of the roof had collapsed. Despite intensive efforts, the teams could not reach the front portion of the tunnel boring machine as the tunnel was filled with muck.

Deployment of advanced equipment to trace the trapped men has not yielded results. L&T teams deployed endoscopic and robotic cameras on Monday. The same equipment for rescue operations after the Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand, where 41 workers trapped inside were rescued after 17 days in 2023.

Rat miners, who were part of the Silkyara rescue operation, were assisting NDRF, Army and others in the rescue effort. Officials said water and debris continued to hamper the rescue operation.

The last stretch of about 40 meters is proving to be a daunting task due to muck and debris. NDRF, Army, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) were making intensive efforts to dewater and desilt the tunnel.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will be visiting the tunnel later in the day to review the rescue operation. Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy and Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy will supervise the rescue efforts.

Two workers were injured and eight others were trapped when a portion of the tunnel being dug as part of SLBC collapsed near Domalapenta. A total of 50 persons were working on the left-side tunnel when the roof collapsed. The accident occurred at the 14th km point.

While 42 workers came out of the tunnel, the remaining eight were trapped. The trapped men are from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.

Project manager Manoj Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Machine engineer Srinivas (Uttar Pradesh) and machine operators Sunny Singh (J&K) and Gurpreet Singh (Punjab) are among those trapped. The four workers from Jharkhand are Sandeep Sahu, Santosh Sahu, Anju Sahu and Jagta Khes.