Telangana tunnel collapse | Rescue work continues to trace remaining seven persons trapped under debris

Rescue teams in Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel divide last 200 meters into three stretches for efficient debris clearing.

The agencies involved in the rescue operation to trace the remaining seven persons trapped under the debris in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Nagarkurnool - which collapsed at the bed-rock end, about 14 km inside from the mouth - have divided the area from loco-end point till last 50 meters into three stretches for better output.

This, according to the officials heading the rescue operation, was done to speed up the work as the operation entered 22nd day on Saturday. A portion of the tunnel collapsed on February 22. From the loco-end point at 13.5 km length, the tunnel was excavated for about 200 meters till the work came to halt on February 22.

Clearing slush, metal and clearing the site of other debris for about 50-70 meters from the loco-end point till the tail-end of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) would now be handled by the personnel from State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and HYDRAA (Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency), the officials explained.

The next stretch, between the last 50-80 meters and the first stretch, would be cleared of muck and metal by the SDRF personnel. The last stretch towards the tunnel end that has D1, D2 and P1 sites, where the Human Remains Detection Dog (HRDD) squad from Kerala and the ground probing radar (GPR) have detected some human remains, and soft material would be handled by the miners from Singareni Collieries and Rat Miners from Uttarakhand.

Digging at D1 and D2 sites had already been completed for about 14 feet deep (4.2 meters) and it continued further. Four mini-excavators were already engaged in the debris shifting work and another one was deployed on Saturday (March 15, 2025). All five mini-excavators would work following a chain-link method so that the debris being removed (dug-up) could be taken till the conveyor belt end point and out of the tunnel.

The metal parts and other heavy material was being shifted out of the tunnel with the help of loco-trolleys. The HRDDs or dogs which can detect cadavers were sent into the tunnel again on Saturday to detect more points where human remains could be found.

Meanwhile, the National Centre of Seismology has conducted a survey from top of the surface (hillocks located at about 400 meters above the tunnel) at at least 15 points and the scientists concerned were expected to submit their initial findings next week.