Efforts are underway to rescue the workers trapped in Telangana after a section of roof at an under-construction tunnel collapsed in Nagarkurnool district. Indian Army, NDRF and other agencies are trying to extricate the workers trapped for over 40 hours.
Telangana Minister J Krishna Rao said that the chances of survival under the circumstances are "not that good" as water and debris are posing a challenge to the rescuers.
"Muck has piled up too high inside the tunnel, making it impossible to walk through. They (rescuers) are using rubber tubes and wooden planks to navigate through it," Krishna Rao, who went inside the tunnel, told reporters, as quoted by PTI.
"We can't say. We are hopeful, but the kind of incident that took place was very serious and chances are we can not say. The chances of survival can not be predicted. Chances are not that good," he said when asked about the chances of survival of the trapped persons. Krishna Rao said some survivors swam across the tunnel after the incident happened.
Oxygen is being continuously pumped inside and motors have been deployed for dewatering. Videos released by the state government showed rescuers navigating through thick muck, tangled iron rods, and cement blocks.
A section of a roof collapsed in the under-construction stretch of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana on Saturday. Around 50 persons went inside the tunnel as the construction work resumed.
They went up to 13.5 km inside the tunnel when the roof collapsed. Eight members including two engineers, who were ahead of the machine got trapped while 42 others ran towards the outside gate of the tunnel and came out.
Along with the Indian Army and the NDRF, rescuers who carried out the Uttarakhand tunnel operations have also been called in. Of the eight individuals trapped inside, six (two engineers and four labourers) belong to Jaiprakash Associates and two are employees of a US company.
One of the rescue personnel of the State Disaster Response Force told news agency ANI, “There's no chance to go to the spot inside the tunnel. It has completely collapsed and mud is reaching up to the knees. We will have to take another step."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called up Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to inquire about the incident and assured all possible assistance from the Centre for the ongoing rescue operation.