Efforts to rescue eight workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district have intensified as emergency teams begin cutting through a tunnel boring machine (TBM) obstructing their path.
Vaibhav Gaikwad, Superintendent of Police, Nagarkurnool, confirmed on Thursday that gas-cutting equipment was being deployed to make an access point. Simultaneously, teams are engaged in clearing silt and mechanical debris.
The workers have been trapped since Saturday when a section of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel near Domalapenta caved in.
Among them are Project Engineer Manoj Kumar and Field Engineer Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, workers Sandeep Sahu, Jagta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahu from Jharkhand, Sunny Singh from Jammu and Kashmir, and Gurpreet Singh from Punjab.
A senior government official said, “Now, the decision has been taken to cut through the TBM. Earlier, this call was not taken due to the instability of the tunnel and soil. We will cut through the machine, and once the way is cleared, our men will go through the muck and debris to locate and rescue the trapped people. We are using all available resources at hand. This is the plan.”
Also read: T'gana mishap: Govt says rescue ops to conclude in 2 days
State Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has set a 48-hour deadline for the operation. He stated, “We now have a well-defined plan, and we are accelerating the rescue and relief operations with greater speed.”
Officials are also exploring an alternate access route to bypass the TBM. “Cutting through the machine will require less time than cutting through the rocks, which may be a tougher task,” said an official involved in the operation.
A major challenge remains the accumulation of muddy water within the tunnel. Reddy noted that intensified dewatering efforts are in place to expedite the process. “We are taking additional precautions to ensure rescuer safety while moving forward aggressively to save the survivors,” he said.
Advanced imaging systems are being used for real-time monitoring of the tunnel’s condition.
On Wednesday, additional reinforcements joined the operation, including the Indian Marine Commando Force (MARCOS) and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), alongside the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, the Navy, the State Disaster Response Force, and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.
In a bid to stabilise the pathway to the TBM, the government has introduced reinforced support structures and accelerated debris removal.
Remote-controlled devices, high-tech imaging, and precision excavation equipment are being used to assess conditions and prevent secondary collapses.
As the rescue operation enters its critical phase, officials remain hopeful that the workers will be brought to safety within the stipulated timeframe.
Also read: T'gana mishap: Experts rack brains to get breakthrough
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