SLBC tunnel collapse: Robots deployed to locate remaining trapped workers
Nagarkurnool: The search and rescue operation was intensified after the robotic teams joined the rescuers at the partially collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool on Tuesday.
The help of a robot team has been sought as seven other workers remain trapped after a portion of it collapsed on February 22, 2025.
A team of experts from Hyderabad-based robotics company Anvi Robo along with a robot joined the search operation being carried out by over 100 rescue personnel drawn from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army and Navy, along with cadaver dogs from Kerala Police for the past few weeks.
As the conditions inside the tunnel continue to pose challenges with continuous seepage of water and slush, the Telangana government is deploying robots to safeguard the rescue teams inside the tunnel.
Due to these challenging conditions, the rescue team could not reach the dead-end spot where bodies are stuck. With the help of a robot, the rescue personnel are expected to retrieve one more body soon.
Earlier, the rescue personnel recovered the dead body of a tunnel boring machine operator Gurpreet Singh, who was employed by a foreign company involved in tunnel works. The body was found using the services of cadaver dogs sent by the Kerala government.
According to an official, Singh’s body could be extricated after a gruelling 48 hours digging. He was found buried under 10 feet of silt. The body was decomposed beyond recognition and he could be identified only by the earring on his left ear and a tattoo on his right hand.
Singh’s body was first shifted to Nagarkurnool civil hospital where postmortem was conducted and following other procedures, the physical remains were sent to his native place in Punjab in a special ambulance
Meanwhile, the rescue personnel continue to search the remaining workers, who were identified as Manoj Kumar (from Uttar Pradesh), Sunny Singh (from Jammu & Kashmir), and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, and Anuj Sahu (from Jharkhand).
