Telangana Tunnel Collapse: Rescue Teams Revise Strategy
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Synopsis
Rescue teams in Telangana are re-evaluating their strategy to extract eight individuals trapped in a collapsed tunnel. Experts from various agencies are assisting, while multiple challenges hinder progress. The situation is complex, with significant water and mud complicating rescue efforts.
Key Takeaways
- Eight individuals trapped in a collapsed tunnel.
- Rescue teams are revising their strategy.
- Experts from various agencies are involved.
- Challenges include tunnel stability and water accumulation.
- Trained sniffer dogs and expert miners have been deployed.
Hyderabad, Feb 25 (NationPress) Rescue teams engaged in the critical operation to extricate eight individuals trapped in a collapsed under-construction tunnel in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district for three days are revising their strategy to advance in the final stretch of 40-50 metres.
Confronting numerous challenges, authorities have enlisted experts from the Geological Survey of India (GSI), National Geographical Research Institute (NGRI), and the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) to evaluate the situation and propose methods for continuing rescue efforts.
Multiple teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army, Larsen and Toubro (L&T), and other agencies are proceeding with caution, taking into account the tunnel's stability during excavation activities.
While ongoing dewatering efforts continue, the rescue teams await recommendations from the experts regarding the next steps.
Various organizations, including the Army, Navy, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation, and Singareni Collieries Company Limited, have charted the tunnel operation. They have developed a comprehensive diagram to aid in devising a rescue strategy to locate and reach the eight individuals trapped.
Officials noted the conveyor belt intended for removing debris from the tunnel after excavation is currently non-operational.
Minister for Roads and Buildings Komatireddy Venkat Reddy stated efforts are underway to repair the belt.
The use of advanced tools such as endoscopic and robotic cameras to locate the trapped individuals has proven unproductive, as the robotic camera has malfunctioned.
The Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) split in two after a section of the tunnel roof caved in on the morning of February 22.
The tail section of the TBM was discovered 50 metres before reaching the end of the 14 km long tunnel. The head section of the tunnel is equipped with a secure container for workers to seek refuge during emergencies. It remains unclear if the trapped individuals managed to access the container when the roof collapsed and water seepage intensified.
The drone is also inaccessible beyond the TBM tail unit. The 50-metre segment is obstructed with sediments and debris, hindering the rescue teams' progress over the past 24 hours.
The tunnel map created by the rescue teams indicates that the loco track is accessible up to 12 km, despite the track extending for 13.5 km.
No water accumulation is present in the tunnel up to the 10.7 km mark. Teams detected 1.5 feet of water at 10.95 km and 2 to 2.5 feet at 11.30 km.
The NDRF has also deployed a trained sniffer dog for the rescue operation; however, it could not be utilized due to the mud.
A specialized team of expert rat miners, known for their successful rescue operation in the Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand in 2023, has arrived but has not yet been deployed. In Uttarakhand, this team successfully rescued 41 workers trapped for 17 days.
However, team members noted that the circumstances in Telangana differ. In Uttarakhand, the situation involved rock, allowing for the use of hand tools to reach trapped workers through small openings. Conversely, the SLBC tunnel is filled with water and mud.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and Tourism Minister Jupally visited the tunnel to assess the rescue operations alongside various agencies.
Uttam Kumar Reddy stated he invited Harpal Singh, former engineer-in-chief of the Border Road Organisation, to share his expertise for the rescue operation. The minister quoted Harpal Singh, who expressed that he had never witnessed such a complex tunnel accident.
The incident resulted in two workers sustaining injuries while eight others remain trapped when a section of the tunnel being excavated as part of SLBC collapsed near Domalapenta.
At the time of the collapse, a total of 50 workers were engaged on the left-side tunnel when the roof fell over a span of three metres. The accident transpired at the 14th km point.
While 42 workers escaped the tunnel, the remaining eight were trapped, including two engineers and two machine operators.
The trapped individuals hail from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir.
The trapped workers include Project Manager Manoj Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Machine Engineer Srinivas (Uttar Pradesh), and Machine Operators Sunny Singh (J&K) and Gurpreet Singh (Punjab). The four workers from Jharkhand are Sandeep Sahu, Santosh Sahu, Anju Sahu, and Jagta Khes.
