Eight workers are still trapped in an under-construction tunnel in Telangana after it collapsed on Saturday morning. The incident happened at around 8:30 am on Saturday when a portion of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapsed in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district. While the rescue ops to bring out the eight trapped workers are on, the teams have said that it is difficult to reach the spot due to the mud.
Here are the latest updates on the big story-
- The rescue teams which tried to go inside the collapsed portion of the tunnel while inspecting the site had to come back because they couldn’t go further in. One of the rescue personnel of the State Disaster Response Force told news agency ANI, “There’s no chance to go to the spot inside the tunnel. It has completely collapsed and mud is reaching up to the knees. We will have to take another step.”
- The Indian Army also joined the rescue operations at the collapse site. Its Engineer Task Force (ETF) was deployed to assist with the rescue ops, reported ANI. The Indian Army’s Engineer Regiment came along with an excavator dozer and was put on standby to help with the rescue ops, said the army.
- Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the incident and detailed the state government’s ongoing efforts to rescue the trapped workers. PM Modi also assured him that the Centre will assist with any necessary help.
- On Saturday night, Revanth Reddy also reviewed and inquired the state ministers about the ongoing situation at the SLBC tunnel collapse site. Hand said that the state government will stand with those affected by the collapse.
- According to Congress MP from Nagarkurnool, Mallu Ravi, the workers at the tunnel site were working with a tunnel boring machine from the USA and some foreign engineers were also present at the site. After the collapse, mud and water gushed in and blocked the other site of the tunnel, he told news agency PTI.
- Rahul Gandhi expressed concern for the trapped workers and said that the state government and the disaster relief teams are doing “everything possible” to rescue them. “Deeply distressed to learn about the tunnel roof collapse in Telangana. My thoughts are with those trapped inside and their families at this difficult time. I have been informed that rescue operations are underway, and the state government along with disaster relief teams are doing everything possible to expeditiously bring back those in danger,” he said in a post on X.
- Sharing visuals from the spot, Telangana minister Uttam Reddy said that he interacted with the project manager of the site, who is American. “The 44 km tunnel is envisaged to supply 30 TMC of irrigation water to the fluoride affected & backward areas of Nalgonda district” he said, detailing the purpose of the tunnel. “We will recover from this setback and complete the project,” he added.
- He also said that the Fire and disaster management teams, irrigation officials, and the police department are “working together under senior officers’ supervision” to help with the rescue ops.