HYDERABAD: Eight persons, including those from Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, were trapped inside after a portion of roof collapsed in the under-construction stretch of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel project in Telangana, state Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Saturday.
Speaking to the media at the accident site in Nagarkurnool district, Reddy said the state government was taking the help of experts, including those who rescued the trapped workers in an incident in Uttarakhand last year. He also sought the help of the Army and the NDRF. Among those trapped are two engineers, two machine operators and four workers. They belonged to Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, said sources.
The personnel were trapped 14 km inside the tunnel. The sources said the way was clear up to 13 km even as the rescue teams remained apprehensive about the overall condition of the tunnel. There was a lot of muck piled up at the accident spot, so the rescue teams were using drones to navigate forward and identify any potential dangers, they said.
PM Narendra Modi called up Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to inquire about the incident and assured all possible assistance for the rescue operation.
The seepage of water and soil began slowly and increased later, prompting the workers to come out. They also heard a loud sound as they felt some “geological disturbance” outside the tunnel, said the minister. Those working ahead of a boring machine inside the tunnel were stuck there, he said.
“Our government is doing everything to save the lives of those eight persons. We also spoke to the experts involved in saving people in the Uttarakhand incident,” he said.
“As the site is 14 km inside, there will be some challenges. But we are getting the best tunnel experts in the country to oversee the rescue efforts,” said Reddy.