Telangana Tunnel Collapse: Causes, Consequences, And Rescue Efforts

Nagarkurnool: The rescue operation to save eight workers trapped inside an under-construction tunnel in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district has hit a roadblock due to the challenging terrain. The tunnel, part of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project, collapsed on Saturday, trapping the workers 14 km inside. A tragic tunnel collapse has trapped workers for the past several hours, prompting the authorities to initiate rescue efforts at the site.

According to officials, the rescue team has made progress, reaching the spot where the tunnel boring machine was working during the incident. However, the presence of silt at the spot poses a major challenge for rescuers to move ahead and reach the trapped workers.

According to officials, 51 workers were carrying out excavation work through a hill, about 120 km from Hyderabad, when a part of the tunnel's roof caved in at around 8.30 am on Saturday. Most of the workers escaped, but some, including two site engineers, were trapped behind a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) close to the 14-km mark in the tunnel.

Multiple Teams Initiate Rescue Efforts

Following the incident, multiple teams made headway and reached the spot where the tunnel boring machine was working during the incident. The teams of NDRF, SDRF and Indian Army along with others initiated the rescue operation at the site to retrieve the trapped workers. However, the silt present at the spot poses a challenge for rescuers to move ahead and reach the spot where the people are believed to have been trapped.

The officials stated that the oxygen and power supply have been made available in the tunnel, and dewatering and de-silting operations are underway. However, water logging just 2 km before the 13.5 km point is preventing the rescue team from carrying heavy equipment to the last point.

Identification of Trapped Workers

According to the officials, the eight trapped men have been identified as project engineer Manoj Kumar and field engineer Sri Niwas — both residents of Uttar Pradesh; workers Sandeep Sahu, Jagta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahu, all from Jharkhand ; Sunny Singh, a worker from Jammu & Kashmir; and Punjab -based worker Gurpreet Singh.

Rescue Efforts Challenges

The officials asserted that the treacherous terrain was hampering the rescue efforts. Water logging just 2 km before the 13.5 km point is preventing the rescue team from carrying heavy equipment to the last point. "We are unable to carry heavy equipment to the last point due to water logging," said an NDRF official adding that the teams are working to speed up the dewatering process, which is a challenging task. 

The rescue team has managed to reach the 13.5 km mark, but there is still a 200-meter patch to cover before reaching the trapped workers. When the NDRF personnel reached the 13.5 km mark, they called out to the trapped workers but did not receive any response.

Meanwhile, Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma spoke with the Nagarkurnool district collector over the phone to receive an update on the ongoing rescue operations. He also gave necessary instructions to ensure the early evacuation of the trapped workers.