Two days since a section of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) collapsed, trapping eight workers inside, hope is fading as rescuers still have found no way to get closer to the collapsed section. Speculations are that it will take about a month to clear the debris that is blocking the entrance of the tunnel.
Though the NDRF is advancing into the tunnel, there are yet to ascertain where the men are trapped. Rescuers haven't been able to provide electricity inside the tunnel. At present, the focus is on dewatering the tunnel, according to ANI.
#WATCH | Nagarkurnool, Telangana | Visuals from Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel where rescue operation is underway to rescue the workers trapped inside the tunnel after a portion of the tunnel collapsed on 22nd February.
— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2025
Endoscopic and robotic cameras have also been… pic.twitter.com/N0XDxHKNN4
Local reports quoting sources said the plan is to set up a conveyor belt inside the tunnel to bring out the trapped workers. However, there is knee-deep mud and debris, which makes it impossible to take heavy machinery inside. The track laid for the purpose is also completely submerged for about 2 kilometres.
NDRF Deputy Commandant Sukhendu Datta said the force had covered around 13.5 kilometres inside the tunnel, primarily using locomotives and conveyor belts. "Yesterday around 10 pm, we went inside to check what the situation was like. The locomotives were used to enter the tunnel. From the gate of the tunnel, we covered a total of around 13.5 km. We covered 11 km by train and then the rest of 2 km by conveyor belt and by walking," he stated.
Telangana Minister J Krishna Rao told reporters on Sunday that the chances of survival under the circumstances are "not that good." "Muck has piled up too high inside the tunnel, making it impossible to walk through. They (rescuers) are using rubber tubes and wooden planks to navigate through it," Krishna Rao, who went inside the tunnel, told reporters.
"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 can not be predicted. Chances are not that good," he said when asked about the chances of survival of the trapped persons.
Krishna Rao said some survivors swam across the tunnel after the incident happened.
