There has been no respite for the workers trapped in the collapsed portion of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) in Telangana‘s Nagarkurnool district. Despite continuous efforts by the NDRF, Indian Army and other local authorities working in tandem, the hope to rescue the trapped workers seems to be getting bleak. The authorities have now also called in a few members from the team that was involved in the successful Silkyara tunnel rescue operation in November 2023.
Latest Developments from SLBC Telangana Tunnel Rescue Operation:
- A huge rescue operation is underway to get the trapped workers out of the collapsed portion of the tunnel. According to a report by The Indian Express, around 128 NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) members, 120 from the SDRF (State Disaster Response Force), 24 from the Indian Army and 23 from Singareni Collieries are involved in the rescue efforts.
- NDRF commandant Prasanna Kumar told IE on Sunday evening that the tunnel area which was filled with water and was making the rescue operation difficult for the authorities, has now been dewatered. The authorities are now getting rid of the slush. But the progress is slow as the team is moving forward in a zig-zag pattern, according to Kumar.
- Earlier on Sunday, Telangana Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy had said that they are looking to consider three different options to get to the trapped workers. One of them is drilling a hole in the SLBC tunnel from above, the other involves drilling from the side of the tunnel, and third option involves desilting the area which means removing silt from the area.
- Telangana Minister J Krishna Rao, who went inside the tunnel, informed reporters that the chances for the workers’ survival seemed bleak as the muck inside the tunnel has piled up high, making it difficult for rescue authorities to navigate and walk through the tunnel, reported PTI. The rescuers, Rao informed, have been using rubber tubes and wooden planks to move forward in the tunnel.
- The rescue teams that managed to make their way till 13 kms inside the tunnel, tried to call out the names of the eight workers who are missing but did not get any response in return, a PTI report said citing sources. No communication has been established yet with the trapped/missing workers in the tunnel.
The trapped workers have been identified as Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh from J&K, Gurpreet Singh from Punjab, and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahu, all from Jharkhand. Out of the eight people trapped inside the tunnel, two are angineers and four are labourers.
