Hyderabad: Hopes of rescuing eight trapped workers from the collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district are fading, despite ongoing efforts by multiple rescue teams. More than 48 hours after the collapse, the fate of the missing workers, including two engineers and two machine operators, remains uncertain. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army, and Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) continue to struggle against flooding and debris inside the tunnel. The tunnel, submerged in water for nearly two kilometers, has posed a severe challenge to over 300 rescue personnel, who are using heavy motors for dewatering. Additional support from the Indian Air Force and Navy has been dispatched from Visakhapatnam, with helicopters bringing in specialized teams to aid in the search operation.
The rescue mission has been further complicated by the breakdown of the loco train intended to transport personnel and equipment into the tunnel. The train stopped functioning around the 11th-kilometer mark, delaying efforts to clear the passage and locate the missing men. Meanwhile, state ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy and Jupally Krishna Rao visited the site and personally entered the tunnel on Sunday to assess the situation. Jupally Krishna Rao later informed the media that no voices or signs of life had been detected, making the situation increasingly grim. However, he assured that oxygen is being supplied inside the tunnel to sustain any survivors. Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that alternative methods, including vertical drilling from the surface, are being considered to reach the trapped workers.
The accident occurred at the 14-kilometer point of the SLBC tunnel when a section of the roof collapsed, trapping eight workers inside. Among them are project manager Manoj Kumar and machine engineer Srinivas from Uttar Pradesh, machine operators Sunny Singh from Jammu & Kashmir and Gurpreet Singh from Punjab, along with four laborers from Jharkhand. At the time of the collapse, 50 workers were inside the tunnel, but 42 managed to escape unharmed. The construction work, which had resumed just four days prior after years of delay, was part of an initiative to complete the long-pending project. The Telangana government is under mounting pressure to ensure accountability and expedite rescue operations as families of the trapped workers anxiously await updates.
