Eight persons continue to remain trapped inside the tunnel of Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project in Nagarkurnool district after a section of roof collapsed in the under construction stretch. Two engineers, two machine operators and four workers are learnt to be trapped 14km inside the tunnel.
How did the workers get trapped in the SLBC tunnel in Telangana?
Water and soil started seeping slowly at first and gradually picked up pace, prompting the workers to come out of the tunnel.
A loud sound, too, was heard outside the tunnel, which is being attributed to a “geological disturbance”.
But, not all the workers were able to make it out, as those working ahead of a boring machine inside the tunnel were stuck inside as a section of the roof caved in.
Rescue operation at the Telangana tunnel collapse site
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of all the help from the Centre.
Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the rescue effort will be undertaken after the geological disturbance stabilises. He said the state government is doing everything possible to rescue the trapped workers, and that help has been sought from the Army and the NDRF. State fire service personnel and Disaster Response Force are on the standby. The rescue team is expected to reach the site by tonight.
ALSO READ: How Uttarkashi tunnel collapse has triggered faith, security and environmental concerns
It is learnt state-owned coal mining firm Singareni Collieries Company Ltd., which has the expertise and equipment for such rescue operations, has sent a 19-member team to assist the rescue operations at SLBC.
Meanwhile, Reddy said the state government is taking the help of experts who helped rescue workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand in 2023.
The Silkyara tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand in 2023
Forty-one workers were trapped inside after a landslide on November 12 caused a portion of the 4.8km long Silkyara tunnel being built near Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand, to collapse at the entrance.
The tunnel was part of the Chardham all-weather road, to connect various pilgrimage sites and temples.
ALSO READ: Who built Uttarkashi tunnel?
It took 17 days for the workers to be rescued. The personnel first tried to drill horizontally through the debris for 10 days, and encountered several challenges including the breaking down of the drilling machine.
The workers were safe and sound as visuals streamed from the tunnel proved. They were being provided food and water through a pipe. But, on the 13th day, the drill broke down irreparably, forcing the rescue workers to drill from the top of the mountain.
As time began running out, a team of miners were engaged to dig the final stretch of the horizontal path, by hand. The plan worked, and after almost 24 hours of digging by hand, the rescue team were able to reach the trapped workers and pull them out.