Telangana: Navy and armed forces join SLBC tunnel rescue operation

The tunnel has been the site of intense operations involving the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and other emergency teams

Hyderabad: Navy and Army teams have joined the efforts aimed at saving the workers trapped inside a collapsed SLBC tunnel project thus scaling up the rescue operations on Monday. Teams drafted from multiple agencies have been at work taking positions in the 14 kilometres tunnel stretch where regular works were stalled following the accident.

The tunnel has been the site of intense operations involving the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and other emergency teams. Heavy-duty pumping motors have been brought in to combat the knee-deep water that has flooded the tunnel, impeding progress beyond the 12.2 km mark.

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Currently, 13.5 km of the tunnel is under the possession of the rescue teams, but the final stretch remains a challenge. Medical teams have also been mobilised to support the rescue operation and provide immediate care for any survivors found. The collapse of the tunnel roof has left the tunnel boring machine (TBM) severely mangled and buried under a massive pile of debris.

The initial efforts to remove the debris that landed on the TBM proved futile, as the intensity of the collapse rendered it almost irreparable and pushed it back by some 500 metres.

While Army teams worked from the corners that were found relatively safe to remove debris, the dewatering process continued on the other side of the tunnel. The search for trapped workers has also been intensified, with additional personnel from the NDRF being deployed to speed up the operation. Approximately 50 more personnel are expected to join the rescue mission today to bolster the efforts further.

The rescue teams faced a major challenge in the form of the debris and heavy seepage of water that continued unabated from the cave-in corner. The safety of rescuers is viewed as an issue of equal priority as the teams are inching forward to reach out to the trapped workers.