SLBC Tunnel Collapse: Rescue of trapped workers turns high risk endeavour

Placing safety containers in critical workplaces is mandatory. Workers would be protected if a safety container were available at the accident site and they could reach it in time. It is crucial to ensure that these containers have sufficient space for workers to enter and exit safely.

Hyderabad: The rescue operations at the SLBC tunnel near Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district have become a high-risk endeavor, with every effort being made to ensure the safety of the trapped workers and the rescuers facing serious impediments. However, despite adverse ground conditions and diminishing hope of a safe rescue of the eight workers and engineers, officials monitoring the operations are keeping their hopes alive.

It is mandatory to have safety containers placed in such critical work places. The workers would be safe, if there is a safety container placed at the accident place and if they all could manage to reach the container in time. Ensuring enough space for workers to enter and exit such a container safely is essential. The survival of the trapped workers hinges very much on the observance of the safety procedures adopted by the implementing agency, officials said.

---

Led by Disaster Management Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar, rescue teams have developed a detailed blueprint to navigate and carry out the rescue operation. However, the situation inside the tunnel remains dire. Water, mud and debris from the collapsed Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) are obstructing the path. The oxygen supply tube has also collapsed, complicating the efforts further. So far, the teams have secured 11 kilometres of the tunnel, but moving beyond this point has proven difficult.

To advance further, conveyor belts are necessary to clear the debris. Rescue teams estimate that it will take at least 10 days to reach the trapped workers. All the eight persons are trapped near the collapsed roof, approximately 40 metres wide, close to the TBM machine. The rescue teams have identified the exact location and are working to clear the 100-metre block to reach them. The operation involves deploying 30 personnel in teams to carry out the mission. In the meantime, media access to the area has been restricted. The police have cordoned off the area, allowing media personnel selectively.

Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy is overseeing the rescue efforts on Monday. The State government is under pressure to expedite the mission. NDRF officials have indicated that rescuing the trapped individuals would require cutting through the Tunnel Boring Machine. Removing the debris with the equipment available right now, may take several weeks. The railway track set up to transport workers and machinery inside the tunnel is also flooded, adding further complications.