SLBC tunnel mishap update: NDRF advances closer to trapped workers, call out their names
Hyderabad: It’s been more than 24 hours since a section of the roof of an under-construction stretch of the SLBC tunnel collapsed and at least eight labourers (some reports suggest six and others 7) were feared trapped 14 kilometers inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project in Nagarkurnool district.
Nearly 300 members comprising personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army, National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), Singareni Collieries and the SDRF are involved in the rescue operations. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is making progress and advancing deeper into the tunnel.
According to NDRF Deputy Commandant Sukhendu Datta, the NDRF personnel have been able to reach up to 13.5 km from the gate of the tunnel using a train and by conveyor belt and by walking. He added that the last 200 metres of the collapse section is completely blocked by and therefore the force could not find the workers’ exact ‘location’.
According to sources, the rescue personnel after reaching up to the site of the accident called out the names of the trapper workers but there was no response.
Telangana state Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and J Krishna Rao have been actively overseeing the rescue operations at the site of the accident.
Earlier, Uttam Kumar said that the tunnel project commenced some 20 years ago. He said the work on this project is going very slow due to various factors. He added that the project officers informed him that due to a crack in the geological line, water seepage started and nobody took it seriously and later the small crack widened and soon the tunnel was filled with water and mud which resulted in the workers getting trapped inside it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dialled Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and inquired about the incident. He assured all possible assistance from the Centre for the ongoing rescue operation.
#WATCH | Nagarkurnool, Telangana: Rescue operations carried out inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel as a portion of the tunnel near Domalpenta collapsed yesterday. At least eight workers are feared trapped. pic.twitter.com/UOWMFEk6gG
— ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2025
Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also spoke with Revanth Reddy and inquired about the ongoing rescue operations in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel.
Meanwhile, Revanth Reddy explained the measures being taken up by his government to rescue the trapped workers in the tunnel.
“My leader, and the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Shri @RahulGandhi Ji spoke to me over the ongoing rescue operations at the SLBC tunnel. Explained the alacrity with which our government responded on getting the news, including rushing Minister Shri Uttam Kumar Reddy Reddy garu to the spot, and deployment of the NRDF and SRDF rescue squads,” Revanth Reddy tweeted.
