Telangana Tunnel Collapse: Rescuers Encounter New Hurdle As Efforts Fail To Make Breakthrough

Telangana Tunnel Collapse: Experts have warned that further excavation could not only endanger the lives of the trapped workers, but also put the rescuers at risk.

Army personnel near the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project site where a portion of the tunnel collpased in Nagarkurnool.

Source : PTI

After being trapped for over 48 hours under debris and muck, the chances of survival of the eight persons stuck in the SLBC tunnel following a partial collapse appear bleak, even as the rescue work is underway.

Despite the efforts by the Indian Army, Navy, NDRF, and other rescue agencies, there has been no breakthrough so far in the rescue operations.

According to rescuers, the height of the mud hall has increased by one meter, worsening the conditions for the trapped workers.

Even after two days of rescue efforts, the rescuers have not been able to make contact with those trapped inside. The rescuers have also deployed gas cutters to cut the metal rod, while sniffer dogs have been brought in to locate those inside the tunnel. 

Experts have warned that further excavation could not only endanger the lives of the trapped workers, but also put the rescuers at risk.

The rescue teams have to navigate through thick muck, tangled iron rods, and cement blocks to reach the accident spot in the tunnel. However, due to the presence of water, the rescuers are unable to move forward. 

The incident happened after a section of the tunnel collapsed in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district on Saturday morning.  

A team of 584 skilled personnel of Army, Navy, Singareni Collieries and other agencies along with central and state disaster response teams, have conducted tunnel inspections seven times. 

Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister has instructed officials to leave no stone unturned in the efforts to save the trapped persons, even as the Indian Army and the Navy have joined the rescue operations along with NDRF, SDRF and other agencies. 

Out of the eight men trapped in the tunnel, two are engineers, two operators while four are labourers. The persons who have been trapped in the collapsed tunnel for the past over 48 hours have been identified as Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh (Jammu and Kashmir), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab) and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahu, all from Jharkhand.