Eight workers remain trapped inside a collapsed under-construction tunnel in Telangana, as per the latest reports.
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Authorities have intensified rescue efforts, which are being closely monitored by senior officials.
The incident occurred around 8:30 am on Saturday when a portion of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapsed near Domalpenta in Nagarkurnool district. Rescue teams said they were having difficulty reaching the site due to thick mud and water.
The trapped workers include two engineers, two technical staff, and four labourers. Around 13 workers sustained injuries due to the collapse but were able to come out of the tunnel with the help of 29 other workers who managed to escape unhurt.
A joint rescue operation is in progress to extract the trapped workers from the collapsed tunnel section, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indian Army, Singareni Collieries, and other specialised teams working together.
Rescue Operation And Latest Development
A massive rescue operation is underway to rescue workers trapped in the collapsed section of the tunnel.
Around 128 NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) members, 120 from the SDRF (State Disaster Response Force), 24 from the Indian Army, and 23 from Singareni Collieries are involved in the rescue efforts, reported The Indian Express.
In an update on Sunday evening, NDRF Commandant Prasanna Kumar informed IE that the water-filled tunnel area, which had been hindering rescue efforts, has been successfully dewatered. Authorities are now focusing on clearing the slush, but progress is slow due to the team's cautious, zigzag approach, Kumar explained.
Telangana Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday said, "They are looking to consider three different options to get to the trapped workers. One of them is drilling a hole in the SLBC tunnel from above, the other involves drilling from the side of the tunnel, and the third option involves desilting the area, which means removing silt from the area."
Telangana minister J. Krishna Rao, who went inside the tunnel, told reporters that the chances of survival of the workers were very low as mud had accumulated inside the tunnel, making it difficult for rescue officials to walk and pass through the tunnel. Rao said that the rescue workers were using rubber tubes and wooden planks to move forward in the tunnel.
PTI reported, citing sources, that the rescue team managed to reach 13 km inside the tunnel and tried calling out the names of the eight missing workers but got no response. There has been no contact yet with the workers trapped/missing in the tunnel.
