T'gana rescuers reach site of tunnel boring machine

Rescue teams struggled against rising water levels and 15-foot-deep slush on Sunday as hopes dimmed for eight people trapped inside a tunnel in Telangana since Saturday morning, with authorities deploying innovative methods in their desperate rescue attempts.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

The workers, including two engineers, became trapped when a portion of the roof collapsed at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Nagarkurnool district, approximately 120km from Hyderabad.

Rescue teams have been forced to use fishing rafts, tyres, wooden and bamboo planks to navigate through the flooded tunnel. Teams have managed to reach the rear of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) at the 14th kilometre of the 43.93km tunnel, but further progress has been impeded by deep slush despite round-the-clock dewatering efforts.

"Indication given by the rescue teams from the spot is that the chances of survival of the trapped workers are very bleak.

Yet, we have not given up hope," state cabinet minister Jupally Krishna Rao told reporters after accompanying rescue teams into the tunnel.

Rescue operations have been severely hampered by continuous water ingress of approximately 3,000 litres per minute at the site.

"This is a highly challenging situation, and technical experts are working round the clock to resolve the crisis," state irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said. He explained that natural rock formations in the tunnel had become loose, causing the sudden water and mud inflow that filled about 12-13 feet of the tunnel.