Telangana Tunnel Collapse: Rat Miners Hopefull After Minister Says Chance Of Survival Of Trapped Workers 'Very Remote'

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.

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.

On Sunday night, the tunnel had filled with water. However, the water has now been drained and teams are working to remove the slush to try and reach the workers.

Telangana minister J Krishna Rao on Sunday stated that the chances of survival of the eight workers appear to be low.

"We can't say. We are hopeful, but the kind of incident that took place was very serious and chances are we can not say. The chances of survival we can not predict. Chances are not that good," he said.

Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao has stated that a team of rat miners, who rescued construction workers trapped in the Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand in 2023, have joined the rescue operations.

In 2023, a portion of the Silkyara tunnel had caved in, trapping 41 workers inside. After 17 days, the workers were rescued

12 experts in rat-hole mining were called amid the rescue operation to boost the rescue effort.

For Vishal Kumar, 19, the youngest of the 41 rescued workers, the 17 days spent inside the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel felt like an unwritten death warrant. It was a close shave, an ordeal of the worst kind for someone who is just 19—an experience that, in his own words, is now permanently etched in his memories. It was like a bad dream. Read more here.

As per reports, officials have stated that the last 200 meters of the collapsed section are entirely blocked by debris, making it difficult to confirm the condition or exact location of the trapped workers.

Around eight workers are trapped after the under construction part of the SLBC tunnel collapsed on Saturday.

As the team of rat hole miners from Uttarakhand join the Telangana rescue mission, we are reminded of their heroic efforts to rescue the team if 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel.

However, despite the "hero-worshipping", the rat-hole miners continue to be locked in a struggle for their rights.

Read more here - Beyond Hero-Worshipping, What Uttarakhand's 'Rat-Hole Miners' Hope For

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.

Of the eight, two are engineers, two operators and four labourers.

District Collector Badhavath Santhosh has given an update on the ongoing rescue efforts at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel collapse, where eight workers are trapped. Santhosh emphasized that rescuing the trapped workers is the top priority, and although teams were unable to reach the last 40 meters yesterday, necessary measures are now in place to ensure their safe rescue.

"Dewatering is being done while the Indian Army, along with NDRF and SDRF, is going inside with additional equipment. Our major focus will be on rescuing the workers stuck inside. Yesterday, they could not reach the last 40 meters, and now necessary measures are being taken," said Badhavath Santhosh as quoted by news agency ANI.

Former NDMA Vice Chairman and BJP leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy on Monday slammed the state government over the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) collapse, which left eight workers trapped.

Speaking to ANI, he said, “It is really disappointing and sad that this is not the first time that such floods have happened, SLBC tunnel has collapsed...It is definitely time for introspection.”

"I think the state government has not paid attention to what should be done in such situations. Two such incidents have happened. What is the lesson? Why were safety measures not taken? ...Let us pray and hope that we will be able to rescue the trapped people...The State Disaster Management Authority should sit down and prepare a management plan, disaster management plan for such situations," he added further.

One of the workers who is trapped inside the tunnel in Telangana is an engineer from Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh and worked as a junior engineer at a private company.
His name is Srinivas and a relative of his spoke to IANS and said, "...Upon hearing the news, the family became very distressed. His wife has left for Telangana. We hope to get accurate information after that..."

Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said on Monday that the chances of survival of the eight persons who remain trapped in the SLBC tunnel after a partial collapse two days ago are "very remote," though every effort is being made to reach them.

"To be honest, the chances of their survival are very, very, very, very remote. Because, I myself went up to the end, almost just 50 meters short (of the mishap site). When we took photographs, the end (of the tunnel) was visible. And out of the 9 meter diameter (of the tunnel)--almost 30 feet, out of that 30 feet, mud has piled up up to 25 feet", he told PTI.

The Minister stated that rescuing the trapped individuals would take at least three to four days, as the accident site is filled with muck and debris, making it a daunting task for the rescuers.

"When we shouted their names also, there was no response...so, there is no chance at all," he said.

The rat miners who were part of the successful rescue operation for Uttarkashi tunnel collapse that happened on October 31st have reached Nagarkurnool to participate in the rescue operation for the Srisailam Left Bank Canal collapse.

One of the rat miners, Firoz Qureshi, spoke to ANI, " I have come from Delhi, our whole team has come from Delhi, Collector has called us here. 6 of us have come here and 6 more will be coming, we are a team of 12 people. In Uttarakhand, we had rescued 41 labourers...till now, we have not received much information. As of now, we have been told that we need to go along with NDRF and SDRF teams. It will be difficult to say something until we see the situation there"

Reports quotes L&T's endoscopic operator Dowdeep who said, "Through the endoscopic camera, we can track what is happening inside the tunnel. We have done this during the rescue operation in Uttarakhand as well. 2 teams have come. Endoscopic and robotic cameras have been brought."

A Telangana government official told the Indian Express that the rescue team will not be able to drill from above or side of the tunnel as the top surface is 400 metres in height and the Army, NDRF, SDRF and NHIDC teams were working in coordination, but they did not know where the fault lines lie.

The official reportedly said, “The team is able to reach  the last point but there is a lot of water and slush. We are still trying to figure out what should be done. In the regular course also, about 3500 litres of water is inside the tunnel. It is common and nothing new."

“The tunnel boring machine (TBM) got broken about 50 metres from the end of the tunnel. So the team could reach till there. We are still hopeful. we will keep trying…Uttarakhand (Silkyara Bend–Barkot tunnel) was a different case. The accessibility issue was only 200 metres. Firstly, a proboscope was sent inside and then food etc was sent. Here, the location is 14 kms inside. We have sent rat miners inside. lets see what they have to say once they come outside,” the official added.

The rat miners who have joined the rescue team with their experience during 2023 Uttarkashi tunnel collapse, told ANI, "" …there is difficulty as the distance where the incident has happened is 14 km from entrance point and because of water as well...it might take some time, but we hope that we will succeed."

The family members of four workers from Jharkhand, who have been trapped in a collapsed section of a tunnel in Telagana, left for the southern state on Monday, officials said.

At least eight workers, including four from Jharkhand's Gumla district, were trapped inside the tunnel after a section of it collapsed in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district on Saturday morning.

"Under the leadership of Gumla district administration, one member each from four families and a police officer left for Telangana from Birsa Munda Airport," the Chief Minister라이브 바카라 Office said in a post on X.

The family members were sent to Telangana upon the directives of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, according to an official statement.