Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is personally overseeing the ongoing rescue operations at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapse site. He has been in contact with ministers and senior officials coordinating the rescue efforts, according to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy and Jupally Krishna Rao are on the ground, monitoring the second day of rescue operations on Sunday, as teams work to save eight workers trapped in the tunnel.

Multi-agency rescue mission underway
The rescue operation involves multiple agencies, including the Indian Army and Navy, alongside teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). Chief Minister Reddy has instructed officials to intensify efforts to reach the trapped workers.

Officials have identified water seepage inside the tunnel as a major challenge, hampering the speed of the rescue operation. Continuous efforts are being made to pump out water while ensuring a steady oxygen supply. Rescue teams are also working to clear mud mounds and explore alternative routes to reach the accident site.

A tunnel boring machine operator told ANI, “Dewatering is going on. It is very difficult right now. After dewatering, we will do the cutting.” The mission reportedly has around 150 metres left.

Details of the incident and trapped workers
The collapse occurred on Saturday morning when a three-metre section of the under-construction SLBC tunnel roof gave way at the 14 km mark near Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district, Telangana. The incident took place just four days after construction resumed following a long hiatus.

The eight workers trapped inside have been identified as:

Manoj Kumar (Project Engineer) – Uttar Pradesh
Srinivas (Field Engineer) – Uttar Pradesh
Sandeep Sahu (Worker) – Jharkhand
Jataks (Worker) – Jharkhand
Santosh Sahu (Worker) – Jharkhand
Anuj Sahu (Worker) – Jharkhand
Sunny Singh (Worker) – Jammu & Kashmir
Gurpreet Singh (Worker) – Punjab
Several other workers managed to escape the collapse.

Jharkhand government monitoring situation
Jharkhand Minister of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Irfan Ansari stated that he is closely monitoring the situation. “I am constantly in contact with the Secretary there (in Telangana). CM Hemant Soren has spoken to the Telangana CM (Revanth Reddy). As per the information, four to five labourers from Jharkhand are stuck there. I am monitoring the situation,” he told ANI.

With ANI inputs