DOMALAPENTA (NAGARKURNOOL): Four days into the rescue operations at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapse site, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams on Tuesday finally reached the last point of the collapsed roof, where the eight workers were trapped since Feb 22 morning. Until Monday, the rescue teams could not reach the last point and were stuck 40 meters away.
Hoping against hope, the teams utilised thermocol boats to navigate the challenging terrain to bring out at least some of the workers alive but the chances of them coming out of the tunnel looked dim.
If not, the teams will at least try to salvage the workers’ bodies and bring them out of the tunnel, officials at the site said. As of now, the teams are still facing obstacles, with heavy water and slush hampering the rescue efforts.
The eight workers, who are believed to be trapped in the last 50 meters in front of the tunnel boring machine (TBM), remained unaccounted for since the collapse of the tunnel roof on Feb 22.
The project contracting agency, Jaiprakash Associates Ltd, initiated dewatering operations to clear the water from the site in the hope of finding the survivors. Officials remain cautiously optimistic that some of the workers might still be alive, though they acknowledge that they are racing against time.
Telangana irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was at the site, instructed the NDRF, Navy, and other agencies to work in coordination and clear the final stretch of the tunnel. “The goal is to push the mud towards the tunnel entrance in order to locate the missing workers,” he said and directed Jaiprakash Associates to dewater the entire tunnel by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.