Fate of 8 workers trapped in collapsed tunnel unknown even after 10 days

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Eight workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in the southern Indian state of Telangana since 22 February remained out of contact despite multiple agencies working to rescue them.

They were trapped when a tunnel section of the under-construction Srisailam Left Bank Canal in Nagarkurnool area collapsed.

There were 50 workers inside the tunnel when it collapsed but 42 escaped. The fate of the rest was still unknown 10 days later.

Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy said on Sunday that the exact location of the workers remained unknown. He said the over five-metre-deep layer of mud inside the tunnel had made it difficult for rescue teams to determine their precise whereabouts.

Twelve agencies were reported to be involved in the rescue operation and specialists from both state and central governments were assisting them.

Attempts to clear away silt from where the trapped engineers and labourers had been detected earlier inside the collapsed tunnel were intensifying as additional personnel and equipment was being deployed, The New Indian Express reported.

An unnamed official told the paper on Sunday that a conveyor belt damaged by the collapse was expected to be repaired by Monday. Once operational, it would facilitate the removal of debris and sludge from the tunnel.

“The number of personnel and equipment at the identified locations is being increased,” he said, adding that the process of silt removal and dewatering was ongoing.

It was reported over the weekend that scientists from the National Geophysical Research Institute had used ground penetrating radar to detect the positions of four of the eight trapped workers, and that they were expected to be rescued by the evening of 2 March. But the chief minister clarified on Sunday that their exact locations remained uncertain.

The collapse of the “world’s longest irrigation tunnel” was triggered by a sudden inflow of water and soil, causing a section to cave in.

An unidentified expert quoted by The Indian Express said that “there was seepage of water from the hillocks above into the tunnel”, which caused “the mud to loosen and caused a mudslide”. They pointed out that mudslides were not common in tunnel construction. In this case, however, “the tunnel was being dug at a place that was prone to mudslides, and the drilling triggered it”.

Mr Reddy visited the site of the accident on Sunday and said the rescue was progressing but remained a complex operation. It could take another two to three days to locate the workers, he added.

“They are not able to come to a full understanding on where the humans and the machinery got stuck. They have a preliminary estimation, but not fully,” he said, referring to the rescuers.

The Hindu reported that the leaders of key rescue agencies had informed Mr Reddy that clearing debris from the final 20 metres of the tunnel was the most difficult and challenging part of the rescue operation.

As the left flank and roof of this section was still unstable, with heavy water seepage ongoing, rescuers were considering alternative tunnel routes from 13.45km inside to connect with a more stable section of the original path.

“Actually, the operation is going on in full swing. Approximately twelve agencies are working around the clock to find the victims,” VVN Prasanna Kumar, National Disaster Response Force commandant, was quoted as saying by ANI news agency on Monday. “Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate them so far.”

State lawmaker Payal Shankar assured that prime minister Narendra Modi was monitoring the situation and had provided all necessary assistance.

“PM Modi is in continuous contact with the state government and has sent all the help required,” she said. “The rescue operation is underway. We hope that the eight people trapped inside come out safely.”

The trapped workers were earlier identified as Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh from Jammu and Kashmir, Gurpreet Singh from Punjab, and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahu from Jharkhand.

Accidents related to large infrastructure projects are not uncommon in India.

In 2023, a 17-day rescue operation saved 41 workers trapped in a partially collapsed Himalayan road tunnel in the northern state of Uttarakhand.