Wait gets longer for kin, co-workers as finding those trapped in SLBC tunnel prolongs

Agonizing wait continues for families as rescue operation struggles to find remains of 8 buried alive in tunnel collapse.

HYDERABAD

The agonising wait of the family members and co-workers of the 8 persons buried alive about 14 km inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel on February 22 morning is getting longer, despite the ground probing radar (GPR) scanning identifying the soft material under the debris of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) and beneath the muck in the area beside it.

Initially, the authorities supervising the rescue operation, which is now reduced to finding the remains of those trapped by all practical means after more than 7 days, were of the hope that at least half of the persons buried beneath the muck in the area beside the TBM could be found by Saturday evening. But the delay in muck removal and clearing the TBM debris has kept that hope at bay.

With the hope that at least some of the trapped persons could be extracted from the debris, the authorities have made arrangements at the tunnel site such as lining up ambulances (at nearby Domalapenta village) and issued instructions to a team of forensic experts (doctors) from Hyderabad to reach the tunnel site.

A high-level review meeting was also held at the tunnel site by Minister for Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and it was attended by Minister for Excise Jupally Krishna Rao, who hails from Nagarkurnool district, Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumar, Special Chief Secretary (Disaster Management) Arvind Kumar and representatives of the rescue agencies. Mr. Reddy instructed the authorities concerned to keep oxygen cylinders ready at the site for use, if need be.

Speaking to newspersons later, Mr. Krishna Rao said the rescue teams participating in the operation have made it clear that the chances of the buried persons remaining alive were remote or near nought, but the government can’t jump to conclusions and keeps at least 1% hope alive. He stated that still there was about 24 ft to 26 ft (7-8 meters) deep mud in the tunnel on the sides of the TBM, which was damaged badly in the collapse.

The TBM parts were being cut into small pieces for loading them into small loco-trolleys for shifting them out of the tunnel. He stated that they were hopeful of finding at least half of the trapped persons by Sunday evening or night and the remaining after the removal of TBM parts, under which they were presumed to be buried.