Telangana tunnel collapse: Rescue op in final stage; Govt dismisses claims of bodies found

Nagarkurnool: The operation to rescue eight individuals trapped inside a partially collapsed tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district entered its final stage on Saturday, a week after the tragic incident. The government has refuted reports claiming that bodies have been found. Ambulances were stationed near the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel as multiple rescue teams intensified desilting and machine-cutting operations.

The rescue efforts involve multiple agencies, including the Army, Navy, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Singareni Mines Rescue, Fire Services, National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), HYDRAA, South Central Railway plasma cutters, and Rat Miners. They have been focusing on five key locations identified by NGRI using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).

NGRI experts detected some soft material under the debris in the last 10-15 metres of the tunnel but were uncertain if it was the trapped individuals. Five to seven-metre-high silt deposits need to be cleared from these areas.

Challenges in the rescue efforts

The continuous seepage of water remains the biggest hurdle in the rescue operations. Meanwhile, workers were also engaged in repairing the conveyor belt, which is expected to accelerate the rescue efforts once it becomes functional.

Nagarkurnool District Collector Badavath Santosh on Friday night dismissed reports of bodies being found. He urged the media to refrain from spreading unverified news, stating, “NGRI has identified certain points but we can’t say it is 100 percent correct. It can be metal, or it can be something else. We are moving forward as per their finding.”

Advanced technology deployed for rescue

The officials are executing a well-structured plan to expedite the rescue, utilising advanced technology. Water is being pumped out of the accident site, and plasma gas cutters are being used to clear the debris. The necessary rescue equipment has been prepared for rapid deployment.

Officials confirmed that the conveyor belt will be operational as soon as possible, while excavators have been deployed to remove the sludge. Special cameras and sensors are being used to monitor the internal conditions of the tunnel in real-time.

Incident overview

The tunnel collapse occurred on February 22 at the 14th km point, injuring two workers and trapping eight others.

The trapped individuals have been identified as:

Manoj Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Sri Niwas (Uttar Pradesh), Sunny Singh (Jammu & Kashmir), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab), Sandeep Sahu (Jharkhand), Jegta Xess (Jharkhand), Santosh Sahu (Jharkhand), Anuj Sahau (Jharkhand)

Among them, two are engineers, two are operators, and four are labourers. They were employed by Jaiprakash Associates, the contracting firm responsible for the tunnel project.

IANS