Telangana Tunnel Incident: Robots Considered as Rescue Efforts Persist on Day 10
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Synopsis
Rescue operations in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district continue on the 10th day, with authorities considering the use of robots to locate eight men trapped in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel following its partial collapse.
Key Takeaways
- Rescue efforts are ongoing for 10 days.
- Robots may be deployed for search operations.
- Water seepage poses challenges for rescuers.
- Conveyor belt repairs are in progress.
- State government pledges support to families.
Hyderabad, March 3 (NationPress) The rescue efforts in the partially collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel located in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district have reached the 10th day on Monday. Authorities are considering the implementation of robots to locate the eight individuals trapped inside.
Multiple rescue teams from various national and state agencies are engaged in desilting and machine-cutting activities at sites identified by the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), which utilized Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to assess the accident area.
The rescue squads, including personnel from the Army, Navy, NDRF, SDRF, Singareni Mines Rescue, Fire Services, HYDRAA, and South Central Railway plasma cutters, have been encountering challenges such as water seepage.
Rescue personnel are currently hindered from clearing silt, water, and debris due to the malfunction of a conveyor belt. Technical teams are working diligently to repair the belt, which is anticipated to be operational by Monday evening, thus facilitating the rescue.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy proposed the introduction of robots into the tunnel where the eight individuals have been trapped since February 22. After visiting the site and convening a review meeting with the involved agencies, he urged officials to investigate the feasibility of employing robots to avert further loss of life.
“The eight missing individuals have yet to be located. Experts have not determined their status, whether they are alive or deceased,” he stated.
The Chief Minister indicated that it might take an additional 2-3 days for rescue teams to reach a conclusion.
Reddy noted that the involved agencies have not been able to pinpoint the exact locations of the machines and individuals, despite having tentatively identified the areas.
He assured that the state government would provide full support to the families of the eight individuals, who had traveled from other states for work as engineers, machine operators, or laborers. He emphasized the government's duty to assist them and the necessity for everyone to unite in comforting the affected families.
Two workers sustained injuries while eight others were caught when a section of the tunnel roof collapsed on February 22 at the 14th km point.
The trapped individuals have been identified as Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh from J&K, Gurpreet Singh from Punjab, and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahau, all hailing from Jharkhand.
Among the eight individuals, two are engineers, two are operators, and the remaining four are laborers. They were employed by Jaiprakash Associates, the contracting firm responsible for the tunnel project.
