Telangana Tunnel Collapse: No communication with trapped workers, army joins rescue operation

Rescue teams are racing against time to establish contact with eight workers trapped inside an under-construction tunnel of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district. The collapse occurred on Saturday morning, leaving them stranded approximately 14 km inside the tunnel.

Rescue Efforts Underway

Nagarkurnool District Collector B. Santhosh confirmed that authorities have yet to communicate with those trapped. "As of now, we have no contact with them. Rescuers are advancing cautiously, and once they reach the site, we will have more clarity," he stated.

The collapse happened around 8:30 AM when 51 workers were engaged in excavation work. While most managed to escape, eight—including two site engineers—were left behind near the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM).

Challenges in Rescue Operation

The rescue team has managed to reach the TBM’s location but is facing obstacles due to accumulated silt and waterlogging. Oxygen and power supply have been ensured, and dewatering efforts are in progress. However, heavy equipment cannot be transported beyond the 13.5 km mark due to water accumulation. Additional pumps have been deployed to speed up the process.

Teams Involved in Rescue

The large-scale rescue operation includes:

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) - 4 teams

Indian Army - 24 personnel

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)

Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) - 23 members

Infra firm personnel

The Indian Army is coordinating with all agencies to accelerate the rescue process.

Who Are the Trapped Workers?

The eight trapped men have been identified as:

Manoj Kumar (Project Engineer, Uttar Pradesh)

Sri Niwas (Field Engineer, Uttar Pradesh)

Sandeep Sahu, Jagta Xess, Santosh Sahu, Anuj Sahu (Workers, Jharkhand)

Sunny Singh (Worker, Jammu & Kashmir)

Gurpreet Singh (Worker, Punjab)

Political Leaders Monitor Situation

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi personally reached out to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for updates and urged the government to do everything possible to rescue the trapped workers. Meanwhile, Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma has been in touch with the district administration for real-time updates.

The SLBC project aims to provide 30 TMC ft of water from the Srisailam reservoir to Nalgonda district. As rescue teams work tirelessly, hopes remain high for a breakthrough in reaching the stranded workers safely.