No communication with trapped workers; huge pile of debris, muck affect rescue ops

TELANGANA MISHAP: ARMY PRESSED INTO RESCUE OPERATION

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Rescue teams continue to face significant challenges in their efforts to extricate eight individuals trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in Telangana's SLBC project. Rescuers are yet to make contact with those trapped inside. Despite continuous operations by the Indian Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and other agencies, no progress was reported as of Sunday.

Telangana Minister J Krishna Rao, who visited the site, acknowledged the difficulties rescuers are encountering. "Muck has piled up too high inside the tunnel, making it impossible to walk through. They (rescuers) are using rubber tubes and wooden planks to navigate through it," he told reporters.

When asked about the likelihood of survival, Rao stated, "We can't say. We are hopeful, but the kind of incident that took place was very serious. The chances of survival we cannot predict."

Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy provided further details about the situation, revealing that approximately 70 workers were inside the tunnel when a portion collapsed on Saturday morning. "Most of them managed to escape using the internal train or locomotive, but eight people have been missing since yesterday. We are hoping and praying that they are safe," Reddy said.