Rescue efforts are underway to reach eight workers trapped inside an under-construction tunnel of the SLBC project in Telangana, but officials fear the worst as there has been no response from those inside.
State minister J Krishna Rao, after inspecting the site, admitted that the chances of survival were “very, very, very, very remote.” He revealed that nearly 25 feet of mud had filled the collapsed section of the 9-meter-wide tunnel, leaving little room for escape or air circulation.
Rescue teams, including the expert rat miners who played a key role in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel rescue in 2023, have joined the operation. However, progress is slow due to the sheer volume of debris blocking access. Authorities are pumping oxygen into the tunnel while also working to dewater it, but concerns remain about air supply to the lower sections where the workers might be trapped.
The Indian Army, NDRF, and other agencies have been working tirelessly since Saturday, but so far, there has been no breakthrough. Officials are also exploring alternative routes to reach the site.
The trapped workers, identified as Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh from Jammu and Kashmir, Gurpreet Singh from Punjab, and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahu from Jharkhand, have now been stuck for over 48 hours. With time running out, rescuers are racing against the odds to bring them out alive