Telangana Tunnel Accident: Body Found on 16th Day, Stuck in Machine; Search for 7 Others Continues
Nagar Kurnool, 9 March – (www.deccanlive.com): On the 16th day of the Telangana Tunnel Accident, rescue teams have found the first dead body, which is stuck in a machine. Efforts are underway to cut the machine and retrieve the body. On March 7, sniffer dogs were brought into the tunnel for assistance.
According to a rescue officer, only the victim’s hands were visible. Telangana Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy had earlier stated that sniffer dogs detected a strong smell at a specific location, suggesting that three workers might be trapped there.
Following this, debris removal operations were intensified. Robots are also being used to speed up the rescue efforts, and 525 workers have been deployed to locate the missing laborers.
Tunnel Collapse Trapped 8 Workers
The incident occurred on February 22 when a section of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) Tunnel in Nagar Kurnool district collapsed, trapping 8 workers. The Telangana government had earlier stated that the chances of survival were very low, but all possible efforts would be made to rescue them.
Warning Ignored 5 Years Ago
In 2020, a company named Emberg Tech AG conducted a survey of the tunnel and warned about fault zones and weak rock formations. The report was also shared with Jaiprakash Associates Limited, the company responsible for tunnel construction.
The report identified a high-risk area between 13.88 km to 13.91 km of the 14 km-long tunnel, where weak rocks, water accumulation, and land sliding risks were present. Rescue teams confirmed that the collapse occurred at the exact location mentioned in the report.
It remains unclear whether the Telangana Irrigation Department was informed about this report. An official from the department claimed they had no knowledge of such warnings.
