Telangana Tunnel Collapse: 8 Trapped, Army Called

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

8 workers trapped in Telangana tunnel collapse behind 200m debris.
Army mobilized to assist in the rescue operation.
NDRF and SDRF teams also join the rescue efforts.
Tunnel is part of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy updates on rescue progress.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

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The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) joined rescue operations after the roof of a tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district collapsed on Saturday as eight workers were still trapped inside it. This Telangana Tunnel Collapse is a serious situation.

Also, the Army has also swiftly mobilized its Engineer Task Force (ETF) for rescue operations. Equipped with modern technology, the ETF is conducting Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations at the accident site, officials said.

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Rescuers said that there is a 200-meter patch filled with debris. Until this debris is cleaned, they will not be able to find out the exact location of the trapped workers and rescue them.

“Water is filled in the patch between 11-13 km of the tunnel, and until water is removed, debris cleaning work will not start,” NDRF Deputy Commander Sukhendu said.

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The accident occurred due to the slippage of a concrete segment that was used to seal seepage at the 14-km inlet of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel, which runs from Srisailam towards Devarakonda.

Telangana minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was present at the accident site in Nagarkurnool, said that the state government has roped in experts, including those who carried out rescue operations when a similar incident happened in Uttarakhand last year.

Among the eight trapped people are two engineers of an infrastructure and two operators of a US company, while the remaining four are laborers, who hail from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Saturday and inquired about the incident and the ongoing rescue operations. PM Modi assured all possible assistance to the state from the Centre in carrying out the rescue operations and bring the trapped workers back to safety.

On Saturday morning, around 50 people entered the tunnel along with the 200-meter-long boring machine after the construction work of the tunnel resumed recently. The workers are trapped 14 kilometers inside the tunnel.

Rescue teams are using drones to navigate forward and identify any potential dangers as there is a huge chunk of muck piled up at the accident site.

State-owned Singareni Collieries Company Ltd’s Chairman and Managing Director N Balram told news agency PTI that a team of 19 experts from the coal miner also left for the spot to join the rescue operations.

Telangana government officials have been instructed to establish and continue real-time communication with Chief Minister Reddy to update him on the progress of the rescue operations at the tunnel.

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Shri Rahul Gandhi called and spoke to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Sunday morning over the ongoing rescue operations at the SLBC tunnel. He appreciated the steps taken and the constant vigil and monitoring; and asked the government to leave no stone unturned to try to save the trapped workers.

Chief Minister Reddy illustrated the urgency with which the government responded after getting the news, rushing Minister Uttam Reddy to the spot, and deployment of the NRDF and SRDF rescue squads.

Revanth Reddy elaborated on the steps taken for medical relief on those injured and the reach out to the families of those trapped inside.

Aakhir Tak – Key Takeaways to Remember