T’gana rescuers reach site of tunnel boring machine

Rescue teams struggled against rising water levels and 15-foot-deep slush on Sunday as hopes dimmed for eight people trapped inside a tunnel in Telangana since Saturday morning, with authorities deploying innovative methods in their desperate rescue attempts.

The workers, including two engineers, became trapped when a portion of the roof collapsed at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Nagarkurnool district, approximately 120km from Hyderabad. Rescue teams have been forced to use fishing rafts, tyres, wooden and bamboo planks to navigate through the flooded tunnel. Teams have managed to reach the rear of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) at the 14th kilometre of the 43.93km tunnel, but further progress has been impeded by deep slush despite round-the-clock dewatering efforts.

“Indication given by the rescue teams from the spot is that the chances of survival of the trapped workers are very bleak. Yet, we have not given up hope,” state cabinet minister Jupally Krishna Rao told reporters after accompanying rescue teams into the tunnel.

Rescue operations have been severely hampered by continuous water ingress of approximately 3,000 litres per minute at the site.

“This is a highly challenging situation, and technical experts are working round the clock to resolve the crisis,” state irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said. He explained that natural rock formations in the tunnel had become loose, causing the sudden water and mud inflow that filled about 12-13 feet of the tunnel.

Authorities have requested assistance from the Indian Navy, citing their expertise in conducting rescue operations in slushy conditions. “The engineers estimate that once they clear an additional 50 metres of sludge, they will be able to reach the accident site,” Reddy added.

A substantial multi-agency rescue operation is underway, involving more than 300 personnel. The rescue force includes 130 NDRF personnel, an additional 120 NDRF members, 24 Army personnel, 24 Singareni Rescue Team members, and 24 staff from the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA). Teams from Secunderabad Bison Division Engineering Task Force have also joined the efforts.

The trapped individuals include project engineer Manoj Kumar and field engineer Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, four workers from Jharkhand - Sandeep Sahu, Jagta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahu - along with Sunny Singh from Jammu & Kashmir, and Gurpreet Singh from Punjab.

According to Pankaj Gour, managing partner of Jaypee Associates Ltd, the incident occurred during routine excavation work that began at 8 am on Saturday. Workers noticed cracks in two cement concrete blocks on the tunnel’s roof. Before they could respond, the blocks collapsed, bringing down soil and water onto the TBM where 65 people were working.

“Following the sudden gush of water along with mud, those who were on the machine rushed out. A couple of them were virtually swept away by the gushing waters,” Gour said. “Eight persons, including two engineers and two TBM operators, who were at the bottom side of the machine had no time to climb up and rush out. They were caught in the water.”

The collapse resulted in a complete power outage, making it impossible to locate the trapped workers. “In fact, they were not in one place but were standing in different positions around the machine,” Gour added.

Authorities have ruled out the possibility of drilling from above to reach the trapped workers. S Venkateshwarlu, a senior forest official of Amrabad division, explained that the location falls within the Nallamala Tiger Sanctuary and would require excavating half a kilometre through protected forest land, making it unfeasible and against environmental regulations.

The tunnel is part of an ambitious irrigation project designed to provide 30 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of water from the Srisailam reservoir to Nalgonda district. The project, which began in 2005 during the tenure of then chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy in undivided Andhra Pradesh, had recently resumed construction after a six-year halt that began in 2017.

The state government has promised to “stand by the affected families” and has directed officials to expedite rescue operations while providing all necessary assistance to the families of those trapped.

Technical experts on site are exploring alternative solutions to clear the mud and debris inside the tunnel, though getting heavy machinery into the tunnel remains difficult due to the challenging terrain. The ventilation system inside the tunnel reportedly remains functional, providing some hope for the survival of the trapped workers.