Telangana tunnel collapse: Rescue teams reach roof's final point
What's the story
Rescue teams have finally reached the last stretch of the collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel, where eight workers have been trapped since February 22.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was able to reach the spot on Tuesday, despite heavy water and slush slowing their progress.
Dewatering operations are currently underway.
Worker location
Trapped workers believed to be near tunnel boring machine
Reportedly, the trapped workers are believed to be stuck in the last 50 meters of the tunnel, close to a tunnel boring machine (TBM).
Jaiprakash Associates Ltd., the project contracting agency, is spearheading efforts to drain water from the site.
Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has directed all agencies participating in the rescue operation to work in tandem and clear this last stretch of the tunnel.
Operation challenges
Reddy describes rescue operation as 'most difficult'
Reddy described this as one of the most challenging tunnel rescue operations as the tunnel has only one entry and exit point.
He suggested a slight tectonic shift and geological fault lines might have caused the collapse.
Experts from various organizations, including rat miners experienced in similar rescues, are assisting in the operation.
The rat miners are those who rescued the construction workers trapped in the Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand in 2023.
Political controversy
Opposition parties criticize government over tunnel collapse
The incident has triggered a political storm, with opposition parties slamming the government for its handling of the situation. Reddy dismissed the criticisms as "disgraceful politics."
Meanwhile, experts from the Geological Survey of India and other institutes are helping with rescue operations.
These include silt removal and dewatering to reach the site 13.5km inside the tunnel. Additional motors are being used to speed up dewatering processes.
Contact
No contact yet
So far, rescuers have been unable to establish any contact with the eight men who became trapped after a section of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapsed on Saturday morning.
There are two engineers, two operators, and four workers.
They have been identified as Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahu from Jharkhand, Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh from Jammu and Kashmir, and Gurpreet Singh from Punjab.