Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao stated that the survival chances of the eight individuals trapped in the SLBC tunnel collapse are “very remote.” Despite extensive rescue operations involving rat miners, the Indian Army, and NDRF, clearing debris remains a challenging task.
Pic/ PTI
The likelihood of survival for the eight workers who remain trapped inside the SLBC tunnel after a partial collapse two days ago is “very remote”, though all possible efforts are being made to reach them, Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said on Monday.
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According to PTI, a specialised team of rat miners—who previously played a crucial role in rescuing construction workers trapped in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel in 2023—has now joined the rescue operation.
The Minister stated that the process of extricating the trapped individuals is expected to take at least three to four more days due to the large amount of muck and debris obstructing access.
“To be honest, the chances of their survival are very, very, very, very remote. I personally went up to the end, almost just 50 metres short of the site. When we took photographs, the tunnel’s end was visible. Out of the 9-metre diameter—roughly 30 feet—mud has piled up to nearly 25 feet,” Rao told PTI.
He further added, “When we called out their names, there was no response… so there is no chance at all.”
As per PTI reports, the eight individuals who have been trapped for over 48 hours have been identified as Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh from Jammu and Kashmir, Gurpreet Singh from Punjab, and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahu, all from Jharkhand. Among them, two are engineers, two are operators, and four are labourers.
Krishna Rao confirmed that efforts to clear the debris are underway using multiple machines.
He noted that the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), which weighs several hundred tonnes, was displaced by nearly 200 metres due to the collapse and the force of gushing water. “Even assuming that they are in the lower part of the TBM machine and that it remains intact, where is the oxygen? How will oxygen reach underneath?” he questioned, adding that oxygen has been continuously pumped in and dewatering operations are ongoing.
According to PTI, Rao stated that despite the relentless efforts of various agencies, including the Indian Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), no significant progress has been made in the rescue operation. The conveyor belt inside the tunnel is being restored to facilitate debris removal.
Rao, who has been closely monitoring the situation alongside Telangana Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, reiterated that the extraction process is an extremely challenging task. “Even with all types of efforts and various organisations involved, it will take no less than three to four days to remove the debris and reach them,” he said.
Despite continuous efforts by multiple agencies, the eight workers remain trapped inside the collapsed section of the tunnel, part of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district. Rescue teams are working against time to clear the debris and reach the trapped individuals.
(With inputs from PTI)
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