Telangana tunnel collapse: Rescuers start cutting TBM, removing obstacles

The teams engaged in rescuing eight workers who remain trapped in a partially collapsed SLBC tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool have begun cutting the part of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and other obstacles that are preventing them from going to the spot where they can search for the individuals.

Conveyor belt expected to be repaired today

Nagarkurnool Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Gaikwad told the media that the damaged part of the conveyor belt in the tunnel is expected to be repaired over Thursday (February 27) to facilitate the transportation of debris.

“Yes, it’s already (gas cutting machines have gone inside). (Even during the) Nights, they did some cutting. Yes, it has already started last night,” the official told PTI when asked if the gas cutters had started working.

Also read: Ground report: Buried alive? Anxiety peaks at Telangana tunnel collapse site

Replying to a query, the SP said he cannot answer if the trapped individuals will be located over Thursday.

Final push

Telangana Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday (February 26) said the TBM stuck inside will be cut into pieces by using gas cutters and removed. After this, the Army, Navy, Rat Miners, and NDRF teams will make another last-ditch effort to rescue the eight persons who are missing, without compromising their own safety.

Former minister and BRS legislator T Harish Rao is likely to visit the SLBC project, along with his party leaders, on Thursday.

Workers going back?

According to media reports, some of the workers engaged in the tunnel work have started leaving the place out of fear.

A senior government official told PTI that some 800 people were working on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project, of which 300 are locals, while the rest are from states like Jharkhand, Odisha, and UP.

Also read: Telangana tunnel collapse: MARCOS join ops; rescuers to go into pile of silt

On the media reports, the official said some initial apprehension will be there among the workers. “The company constructed residential camps for the workers. But an initial panic will be there. Maybe, some want to go back. But we have no reports of workers leaving en masse,” the official said.

Trapped for over four days

Eight personnel working on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel project were trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed on February 22.

The trapped persons have been identified as Manoj Kumar (UP), Sri Niwas (UP), Sunny Singh (J&K), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab) and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahau, all from Jharkhand. Of the eight, two are engineers, two are operators and remaining four are labourers.

Jaiprakash Gaur, Founder Chairman of Jaypee Group, the contracting firm of SLBC project on Wednesday reacted to the incident saying accidents may happen during difficult works. He added that the teams are doing their best to see that those trapped individuals come out.

Also read: Telangana tunnel collapse: Can India afford this tunnel boom?

Jaiprakash Associates Ltd, the flagship company of Jaypee Group, was awarded the tunnel-boring part of the SLBC project. Two engineers and four labourers of the eight trapped persons work for Jaiprakash Associates.

(With agency inputs)