Telangana tunnel collapse: Rescue operation continues on fourth day
Hyderabad: The rescue operation continued for the fourth day on Wednesday to find eight people trapped in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district, with a last 40-metre stretch filled with mud and debris remaining an impediment for the rescue teams involved in the massive operation.
Rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army, Navy and other agencies have not been able to advance further due to the 7-9 metre high mud mound while the continuous seepage of water has made the entire operation risky for the rescue workers.
Officials said unless the mud and debris are removed they can’t reach the front portion of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), where the eight persons were believed to be trapped since February 22 when the roof of the tunnel collapsed.
Roping in experts from various agencies across the country and deployment of advanced equipment have not helped in what is believed to be the most difficult tunnel rescue operation in India.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Wednesday held a meeting with officials of various agencies involved in the rescue operation to assess the situation and discuss a future course of action.
The ministers were informed that unless slush is removed and dewatering is done, rescue teams can’t make headway to reach the exact spot of the accident where the two engineers, two technical staff and four workers are trapped.
The accident occurred 14 km inside the tunnel. While the rescue teams had already reached 13.5 km, they could not advance further for the last two days due to mud, debris of TBM and seepage of water. The divers of the Navy’s special forces unit Marcos were unable to wade through the slush.
Rescue workers say more soil is falling from fresh cavities at the exact spot of the tunnel collapse, adding to mud. As the slush is more than 70 per cent, the Navy divers were unable to go through it.
With more than 100 hours after the accident, the chances of survival of the trapped men are stated to be remote.
The Border Road Organisation will also be joining the rescue operation on Wednesday.
The operation involves Army, Navy, SDRF, National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation, Singareni Collieries Company Limited, L&T and HYDRAA.
Authorities have roped in experts from the Geological Survey of India (GSI), National Geographical Research Institute (NGRI), and the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) to assess the situation and suggest the way forward for rescue operations.
Disaster Management Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar continues to supervise the rescue operation with other top officials.
The TBM is believed to have broken into two after a portion of the tunnel roof collapsed on the morning of February 22.
The tail unit of the TBM was found 50 metres before the end of the 14 km-long-tunnel. The head portion of the tunnel has a safe container for workers to take shelter in an emergency situation. It was not known if the trapped men could enter the container when the roof collapsed and seepage of water became intensive.
Meanwhile, Jaypee Group founder Jaiprakash Gaur visited the tunnel on Wednesday and said they were making best efforts to rescue the trapped men. Jaypee is the contracting firm for the SLBC project.
Jaiprakash Gaur said after completing the rescue operation the company would resume the work to execute the project.
