Telangana tunnel collapse: Rescue efforts underway; Minister warns of ‘very remote’ survival chances

Hyderabad: Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao on Monday stated that the chances of survival for the eight individuals trapped in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel following a partial collapse on Saturday, are "very remote." Despite this grim assessment, extensive rescue operations are continuing to extricate the trapped workers.

A team of rat miners, renowned for their successful rescue of workers trapped in the Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand in 2023, has now joined the ongoing efforts. The Minister acknowledged the complexity of the situation, stating that clearing the debris and reaching the trapped individuals would take at least three to four days.

"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 metres short (of the mishap site). When we took photographs, the end (of the tunnel) was visible. And out of the 9-metre diameter (of the tunnel)—almost 30 feet, out of that 30 feet, mud has piled up up to 25 feet," he said.

No response from trapped workers

The Minister further explained that attempts to communicate with those inside had been unsuccessful.

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

The eight trapped individuals have been identified as Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh from Jammu and Kashmir, Gurpreet Singh from Punjab, and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahu from Jharkhand. Among them, two are engineers, two are operators, and four are labourers.

Challenges in the rescue operation

Krishna Rao outlined the challenges in clearing the debris, stating that several heavy-duty machines have been deployed to facilitate the process.

He also noted that the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), which weighs several hundred tons, was displaced by nearly 200 metres due to the collapse and the force of gushing water.

"Even assuming they (the trapped persons) are in the lower part of the TBM machine, assuming even if it is intact on the top, where is the air (oxygen)? Underneath, how will oxygen reach them?" he questioned, though he assured that efforts to pump oxygen and dewater the site are ongoing.

Rescue timeline 

"For removing all the debris and all that, in spite of all types of efforts, all types of organisations (working), I think it takes not less than 3-4 days (to extricate the people)," the Minister said. He, along with Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, has been overseeing the rescue operations.

Efforts are also underway to restore the conveyor belt inside the tunnel to expedite debris removal.

Despite relentless efforts by the Indian Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and other agencies, no breakthrough has been achieved in locating or rescuing the trapped workers. More than 48 hours have now passed since the tunnel section collapsed in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district on Saturday, leaving the workers stranded.

PTI