Telangana tunnel collapse: JK worker among 8 trapped; rescue efforts face major hurdles

Telangana: A worker from Jammu and Kashmir is among the eight men trapped inside the collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district, as desperate rescue efforts continue.

The tunnel caved in on Saturday morning, leaving workers from different states, including J&K, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Jharkhand, stuck under the debris.

Machine operator Sunny Singh from Jammu and Kashmir is among those awaiting rescue, along with engineers and labourers from other states. The collapse occurred at the 14-km mark of the under-construction tunnel, where 50 workers were present at the time. While 42 managed to escape, the remaining eight, including two engineers and two machine operators, remain trapped in the rubble.

A large-scale rescue operation has been launched, with over 300 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Singareni Collieries, and the Army working to extricate the trapped men. Specialised rat miners, who played a key role in the Silkyara tunnel rescue in Uttarakhand, have also been deployed.

Rescuers have managed to reach 13 km inside the tunnel, but the final stretch remains blocked due to flooding and heavy debris. The tunnel is filled with muck and water for about two kilometers, making progress extremely difficult. High-powered motors have been deployed for dewatering, but setbacks continue—most recently, a loco train used for transport inside the tunnel broke down at the 11-km point, delaying operations further.

Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, who visited the tunnel on Sunday, stated that the situation remains grim. “The chances of survival are very remote, but we are doing everything possible to reach them,” he said. Officials have not received any response from the trapped men, but oxygen is being pumped into the tunnel in a last-ditch effort to keep them alive.

Meanwhile, families of the trapped workers, including those in Jammu and Kashmir, are anxiously waiting for updates. The Telangana government had resumed construction on the tunnel only four days before the collapse, raising concerns about safety measures at the site.