Hyderabad (Telangana) [India]: Rescue teams recovered another body in the early hours of Tuesday from the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Nagarkurnool, where a collapse on February 22 trapped eight workers. However, the body is stuck in a difficult position, and efforts are underway to retrieve it.
“Today, in the early morning hours, we found another dead body stuck in a position, and we are currently working to retrieve it,” rescue teams stated.
SLBC Tunnel Collapse and Rescue Efforts
The SLBC tunnel accident occurred on February 22, leading to the entrapment of eight workers. The first recovered body, belonging to Gurpreet Singh, was retrieved on March 9.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had earlier announced an ex-gratia of ₹25 lakhs for the families of the deceased.
Government’s Response and Rescue Operations
CM Revanth Reddy has directed officials to speed up the rescue operations. He appointed senior IAS officer Shiva Shankar Loteti as a Special Officer to oversee the rescue efforts.
On Monday, the Chief Minister reviewed the progress of the ongoing operations at the Assembly Hall, along with:
- Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Jupally Krishna Rao, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy
- Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari
- State Disaster Management Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar
- Colonel Parikshit Mehra
Officials reported that 25 agencies, including Central and State government wings and private organizations, are engaged in the rescue efforts, with 700 personnel deployed.
Challenges in Rescue Operations
The teams are working to remove debris, dismantle the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) parts, and clear soil mounds, silt, and seepage water inside the tunnel.
Rescue authorities explained that operations have been delayed due to poor air and light conditions, as the accident site is 14 kilometers from the tunnel’s inlet.
“A 30-meter section of the accident site has been identified as the most dangerous zone,” officials stated.
The rescue heads presented a PowerPoint briefing, detailing the current situation and progress.