Hyderabad: Hopes of rescuing the eight workers trapped inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel after a roof collapse on Saturday are fading. Despite continuous efforts to stop the water flow, the situation inside the tunnel remains critical, Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said on Sunday night.
The workers are believed to be trapped about 14 kilometers inside the tunnel. A rescue team has reached the spot where a tunnel boring machine was operating when the collapse occurred. However, Nagarkurnool District Collector B Santhosh stated that heavy silt buildup is making it extremely difficult to move further toward the trapped workers.
The families of the missing workers are growing more anxious, as rescue teams have not been able to establish any contact with them. It is still unclear if the workers have access to oxygen. The rescue team managed to reach around 13.5 kilometers into the tunnel and used loudspeakers to call out to the workers, urging them to make noise if they could hear—but no response was received.
Concerns are rising because oxygen and power supplies have been cut off since the incident occurred. Minister Krishna Rao mentioned that after the collapse, water rushed into the tunnel so quickly that even the boring machine began floating in the heavy slush.
“Surviving without oxygen and drinking water in such extreme humidity is nearly impossible, though we continue to pray for their safety,” he said.
The families of the trapped workers are being updated regularly at the SLBC tunnel site. Meanwhile, Governor Jishnudev Varma and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy are closely monitoring the situation. Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Jupally Krishna Rao are also present at the site, overseeing the rescue operations.
