Telangana turns to BRO experts for way forward in rescuing eight people trapped in SLBC tunnel

Telangana Government seeks BRO's help to rescue trapped personnel in collapsed tunnel; experts face challenging rescue operation.

Telangana Government as a last resort has sought the help of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) top officials, who have expertise in tunnel works, to find a way out in tracing the eight personnel trapped inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel - a part of which collapsed on Saturday (February 22, 2025).

Latest updates on rescue works at Telangana SLBC tunnel on Day 5 (February 26, 2025)

With as many as 11 agencies - involved in the rescue operations since the last four days - spending over 100 hours so far without any success, Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy got in touch with former Director General of BRO Lieutenant General Harpal Singh and sought his technical expertise in handling the grave situation.

Accordingly, Lieutenant General Singh along with Colonel Parikshit Mehra, said to be an authority in tunnel works, along with another officer arrived here in Hyderabad and were airlifted to the site of the mishap in Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district on Wednesday (February 26, 2025) morning.

Colonel Mehra and his colleague, accompanied by the technical team of Jaypee Associates including a geologist and two personnel of the Indian Army, went inside the tunnel at 11 am Wednesday to assess the situation. A senior Telangana official associated with the rescue operation told The Hindu from the SLBC tunnel site that they were expecting the team to return any time now.

“Col. Mehra is an authority on tunnels construction and his insights into how to go about the next phase of rescue operation is crucial. He has experience in overseeing the construction of Rohtang Pass tunnel and others tunnels in North India. We are hopeful that he would give us a practical solution on how to proceed further,” the official remarked.

Lieutenant General Singh is said to have remarked that such a challenging rescue operation had not been undertaken in the country before and termed it as an unprecedented crisis.