Telangana tunnel collapse: No breakthrough yet, chance of workers’ survival ‘remote’

The chances of survival of the eight persons trapped in the SLBC tunnel in Telangana appear bleak as they have remained buried under debris and muck for over two days. Despite relentless efforts by the Indian Army, Navy, NDRF, and other agencies, no breakthrough has been achieved so far in the rescue operations.

The rescue teams had to navigate through thick muck, tangled iron rods, and cement blocks to reach the accident spot in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district that partially collapsed on Saturday (February 22) morning.

Family members leave for Telangana

Of the eight workers, four are from Jharkhand’s Gumla district. Their family members left for the southern state on Monday, officials said. “Under the leadership of Gumla district administration, one member each from four families and a police officer left for Telangana from Birsa Munda Airport,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a post on X.

The family members were sent to Telangana upon the directives of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, according to an official statement. Earlier, Soren had said that state officials were in constant touch with their counterparts in Telangana for updates on the situation.

Also read: Telangana tunnel collapse: Hope fades for workers as huge pile of debris affects ops

Govt ropes in more experts

The Telangana state government has roped in experts from the Geological Survey of India and National Geographical Research Institute besides an Australian part of L&T that has vast experience in tunnels to suggest the way forward.

Nagarkurnool District Collector B Santhosh said on Tuesday (February 25) that before taking any step forward, the stability of the tunnel has been taken into consideration even as dewatering is going on.

"As of now, we are not able to communicate with them (the trapped persons). We are dewatering and going forward. But for the last 40 or 50 metres, we are not able to go. We are taking the advice of GSI and NGRI. L&T experts have also come here," the collector told PTI.

Sniffer dogs fail

A team of 584 skilled personnel of Army, Navy, Singareni Collieries and other agencies, along with central and state disaster response teams, have conducted tunnel inspections seven times, official sources told PTI, adding that gas cutters to cut the metal rod are continuously working.

Sniffer dogs were also brought in to locate those inside the tunnel. However, due to the presence of water, they were unable to move forward.

Also Read: Six feared trapped as tunnel roof collapses in Telangana

Political bickering

The incident kicked up a political row with BRS Working President KT Rama Rao hitting out at Chief Minister Revanth Reddy in a social media post, saying the CM, who is actively participating in MLC poll campaign, has no time to visit the accident spot.

Reacting to that, Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy claimed that the Opposition leader did not go to Sircilla where seven people died due to the Kaleshwaram project. The minister added that two of his cabinet colleagues were at the tunnel site overseeing the rescue works.

Silkyara heroes brought in

Minister Jupally Krishna Rao on Monday said the chances of their survival are “very remote”, and rescuing the trapped individuals would take at least three to four days, as the accident site is filled with muck and debris, making it a daunting task for the rescuers.

He also mentioned that 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.

Also read: Telangana tunnel collapse: Rescuers inch closer to trapped workers

Chance of survival ‘remote’

“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 metres short (of the accident site). When we took photographs, the end (of the tunnel) was visible. And out of the 9-metre diameter (of the tunnel), almost 30 feet, out of those 30 feet, mud has piled up to 25 feet,” Rao told PTI.

“When we shouted out their names also, there was no response...so, there (seems to be) no chance at all,” he said.

The persons who have been trapped in the collapsed tunnel for the past over 48 hours have been identified as Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh (Jammu and Kashmir), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab) and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahu, all from Jharkhand.

Of the eight, two are engineers, two operators and four labourers.

No oxygen flow

Krishna Rao said the process of clearing the debris is underway with several machinery in place. According to him, the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), which weighs a few hundred tonnes, got almost flushed away by about 200 meters after the collapse and due to the gushing water.

“Even assuming they (the trapped persons) are in the lower part of the TBM machine, assuming even if it is intact on the top, where is the air (oxygen)? Underneath, how will oxygen go,” he asked though pumping of oxygen and dewatering have been continuously done.

“For removing all the debris and all that, in spite of all types of efforts, all types of organizations (working), it takes, I think it takes not less than 3-4 days (to extricate the people),” Rao, who had overseen the rescue operations along with Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, said.

Rao said the conveyor belt was being restored at the tunnel to clear the debris.

Also read: Telangana tunnel collapse: 8 workers trapped; rescuers call out names, get no response

Workers ran to safety after sensing danger

Telangana Minister for Roads and Buildings Komatireeddy Venkat Reddy expressed hope and prayed for the safe rescue of eight people, who remain trapped.

As the operation to rescue the eight personnel was in progress, the workers who survived the accident hoped for the safe return of their colleagues and recalled the tragedy that unfolded before their eyes.

Nirmal Sahu, one of the workers, said when they went inside the tunnel on February 22 morning, the gush of water increased substantially and loose soil also started falling off. Those who sensed the danger ran to safety but eight persons could not come out, Sahu, who hails from Jharkhand, told PTI videos.

A few workers suffered minor injuries while running out of the tunnel, said another worker Obi Sahu who is related to Sandeep Sahu, one of the trapped labourers.

(With agency inputs)