Rescue efforts for eight workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in Telangana are facing challenges due to an increase in slush, now over eight meters high, which poses risks to both the trapped individuals and rescuers. Experts, including an Australian geologist, have raised concerns about the area’s stability, suggesting intensive digging may endanger lives. Flooding of 3,200 liters of water per minute is complicating the situation, creating more mud. With survival chances deemed “very remote,” officials are reconsidering rescue strategies and have deployed advanced equipment to assess the area while waiting for potential recovery outcomes.
Hyderabad:
The search for eight workers trapped in the collapsed tunnel in Telangana has worsened, with rescuers now less than 50 metres away from the buried area. This comes after a one-metre increase in the wall of slush threatening to engulf them, as reported by NDTV on Monday evening, 48 hours post-collapse.
Rescue efforts may need to be scaled back, NDTV learned, as experts, including one from Australia, raised concerns regarding the stability of the collapsed section. It is believed that further digging could endanger both the trapped workers and the lives of those involved in the rescue.
Currently, five teams have entered the tunnel; the latest group, which included geologists and drone specialists, exited at 3:30 PM and is expected to return later this evening.
Concerns have escalated following feedback from the fourth team, which entered at 1 AM today and reported that the previously seven-metre-high slush wall has increased by at least one metre.
This change occurred between the exits of the second team and the entry of the fourth.
Concerning Rise in Slush
The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) informed government officials overseeing the operation that the slush volume has increased, possibly due to a sudden inflow or a gradual rise. Either way, NDTV was informed that the current situation is highly dangerous, suggesting it may be safer to avoid “intensive” rescue efforts for now.
READ | Water, Debris Challenges Rescuers At Collapsed Telangana Tunnel
Rescue officials estimate that a staggering 3,200 litres of water is flooding the tunnel every minute, combining with large amounts of sand, rock, and debris to create more mud and slush. While this situation is not surprising and de-watering operations are underway, there is concern that the slush continues to accumulate.
‘Area Unsettled’: Australian Expert
Chris Cooper, an Australian tunnel expert, provided a similar evaluation, noting that the entire area appears unsettled, potentially making further heavy-duty digging too hazardous.
Experts have also highlighted the risk of shifting boulders, as indicated by sounds reported by the four teams, suggesting that the roof of the collapsed section remains unstable.
The NHIDCL led the third and fourth rescue teams, while the first two were directed by the National Disaster Response Force and the Army, respectively. Additionally, two teams from construction company Larsen & Toubro, equipped with advanced technologies like endoscopic and robotic cameras, have joined the rescue initiatives.
The L&T teams are set to use these cameras to sift through debris and, hopefully, establish communication with any possible survivors, as stated by Nagarkurnool District Collector Badavath Santosh to IANS.
Meanwhile, gas-cutters have been deployed to penetrate the metal of the ‘tunnel boring machine,’ followed by a small excavator to remove excess mud.
Concerns Over Fault Lines
The state government has provided the latitude and longitude of the collapsed tunnel to the National Remote Sensing Agency and the Geological Survey of India for an analysis of existing fault lines.
This assessment aims to evaluate the risk of a second collapse that could potentially trap the rescue teams.
‘Very Remote’ Chances Of Survival
Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao has acknowledged the “remote” chance of finding the workers alive. “Muck has accumulated… Survival chances are very remote… but we remain hopeful…”
Given this evening’s developments, the state government must consult experts and decide on the safest way to proceed without risking additional lives, he told NDTV.
Special response teams, including commandos and rat-miners—who successfully rescued 41 workers trapped in an Uttarakhand tunnel in November 2023—are on standby.
READ | “Survival Chances Very Remote”: 8 Trapped In Collapsed Tunnel For 48 Hours
The 44km-long tunnel collapsed on Saturday while workers were inside addressing a water leak. All but the eight trapped individuals managed to escape.
No contact has been made with them since then.
VIDEO | Inside Telangana Tunnel Where Roof Collapse Trapped 8 Workers
On Sunday, rescuers released footage from inside the tunnel, where they could be heard calling out the names of the eight trapped workers. A rescue worker was heard saying, “Some voices are coming…”
The trapped individuals come from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir.
The tunnel project, initially proposed in 1983 by then Chief Minister NT Rama Rao, was finally approved in 2005, with work commencing in 2006, and about 28 km completed by 2014. Activity was halted for five years starting in 2019, with boring work only recently resuming at the project site.
With input from agencies
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