Sniffer dogs trained to trace cadavers were flown from Kerala to Domalapenta in Telangana to join rescue works at SLBC tunnel.
| Photo Credit: Screengrab
Two specialised sniffer dogs trained to trace cadavers were flown from Kochi in Kerala to Domalapenta in Telangana on Thursday (March 6, 2025) to join the operation to rescue eight people trapped in the partially collapsed portion of Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel.
They first reached Hyderabad in an Air Force aircraft, and then flown to Domalapenta in an Air Force helicopter. The sniffer dogs, which can sniff scents of human bodies under surfaces (like debris), were earlier involved in the rescue operation in Wayanad, Kerala, during the landslide in July last year.
While the desilted material piled up inside the tunnel is being cleared through the loco unit and partially by the conveyor belts, two excavators of the Army are working round-the-clock to make further headway to the end of the tunnel.
A senior official associated with the rescue operation told The Hindu on Thursday (March 6, 2025) that conveyor belt is working along its entire length, which made shifting of desilted material easy.
“Six water jet sprays are installed by the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) to wash out the silt from the damaged portion of the tunnel,” the official said. The focus of the rescue operation is now to clear the metal debris enroute and remove the complete silt to trace the workers.
Teams from the National Centre of Seismology, NGRI and GSI are working in the field – covering inside the tunnel as well as from the top to assess the geophysical characteristics. In addition, V B Maji, Professor of Civil Engineering from IIT, Chennai and a tunnel expert are on the site along with the technical team to provide help in the rescue operations.
In a related development, Advisor (Ops & Communications) National Disaster Management Authority, Col. K.P. Singh would arrive today to oversee the rescue operations.
Published – March 06, 2025 03:23 PM is
