Workers recall deluge that trapped eight inside tunnel

"It appeared like a cloud burst!" was the first reaction of Deepak Jain, who was overseeing the tunnel boring work at a tunnel project site in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana when a portion of its roof caved in on Saturday, trapping eight workers, including two engineers.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

HYDERABAD:

Jain, additional general manager of Jaiprakash Associates Ltd, recalled that he was standing outside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel, near Domalapenta village in the Nallamala forest hill range, around 8.30 am on Saturday when its roof caved in at the 14th km with a loud sound. He was the first to come to the rescue of the workers who rushed out after the disaster.

"It was not just cement-concrete blocks and mud that fell on the boring machine, but there was a sudden gush of water from the hole that was formed on the roof. It was a deluge," the AGM said, quoting one of the workers.

At least 57 workers, who managed to escape from the jaws of death, were relocated to a separate camp a few kilometers away. "They are still in a state of shock and not in a position to talk," a site engineer said, requesting anonymity.