Telangana tunnel collapse LIVE: Rat-miners from Uttarakhand mission join rescue ops

A team of rat miners, who had rescued the construction workers trapped in the Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand in 2023, has joined the rescue teams to extricate the men from SLBC tunnel.

“To be honest, the chances of their survival are very, very, very, very remote. Because, I myself went up to the end, almost just 50 meters short (of the mishap site). When we took photographs, the end (of the tunnel) was visible. And out of the 9 meter diameter (of the tunnel)–almost 30 feet, out of that 30 feet, mud has piled up up to 25 feet”, says Telangana minister Jupally Krishna Rao.

As per a Telangana Today report, rescue teams have spotted the hand of one of the workers trapped in the mud.

“It appeared like a cloud burst!” was the first reaction of Deepak Jain, who was overseeing the tunnel boring work at a tunnel project site in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana when a portion of its roof caved in on Saturday, trapping eight workers, including two engineers. Read more

According to an SDRF official, there’s ‘no chance’ to go to the spot inside the tunnel as it has completely collapsed and mud is reaching up to the knees.

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.

Latest visuals of the rescue operations being carried out inside the SLBC tunnel, a portion of which collapsed near Domalpenta on February 22.

On Sunday, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, spoke to Telangana CM Revanth Reddy over the ongoing rescue operations at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel collapse site.

The Congress leader appreciated the steps taken and the constant vigil and monitoring and asked the government to leave no stone unturned to try and save the trapped workers, an official release said.

Telangana tunnel collapse LIVE: According to the Raj Bhavan Press Secretary, governor Jishnu Dev Verma spoke to the District Collector, and was briefed on the ongoing efforts to rescue workers trapped inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel.

The District Collector provided updates on the rescue operations, informing that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Army, and experts are actively engaged at the site.

According to Telangana minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, the situation at the accident site is ‘critical,’ and water inflow is hampering rescue operations.

“The natural rock formations in the tunnel became loose, which caused sudden water and mud inflow, filling about 12-13 feet of the tunnel. This is a highly challenging situation, and technical experts are working round the clock to resolve the crisis,” he explained.

Telangana BJP leader N Ramchander Rao said, “The SLBC tunnel collapsing is an unfortunate incident, many people are stuck. But however, whatever may be the reasons they will now come out only after detailed inquiries.”

He added, “After the report comes, what are the main reasons, whoever is responsible, then I think the BJP will make a political statement on it, as of now we are with the administration to save the lives of the people.”

With four out of eight trapped workers being from Jharkhand, the state’s health minister Irfan Ansari said 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. As per the information, four to five labourers from Jharkhand are stuck. I am monitoring the situation,” Ansari said.

“Our mission is left for around 200 meters. Dewatering is going on. It is very difficult right now. After dewatering, we will do the cutting,” a tunnel boring machine operator said.

Officiais have told Telangana CM Revanth Reddy that seepage water in the tunnel is a ‘big problem’ to speed up the rescue operations.

“Arrangements have been made to continuously draw out water and supply oxygen in the tunnel. Rescue teams are removing mud mounds in the tunnel and examining alternative routes to reach the accident site,” the officials said.