Telangana
\nRescue operations are underway in India\u2019s southern state of Telangana to save eight construction workers who have been trapped inside a collapsed tunnel since more than 72 hours.
\nThe incident occurred early Saturday morning when a section of the roof of the 43-kilometre Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel caved in, trapping workers inside. Fifty workers were inside at the time of the collapse, with 43 managing to escape.
\nEfforts to reach the remaining eight men have been hampered by unstable soil, mud, and debris. Rescuers have been unable to establish contact with the workers or provide oxygen and essential supplies, raising concerns about their survival.
\nRemote chances of survival
\nState minister Jupally Krishna Rao, overseeing the rescue efforts, told PTI news agency that \u201cthe chances of their survival are very remote.\u201d
\nOn Monday, an expert team of \u2018rat-hole miners\u2019\u2014skilled in navigating narrow tunnels\u2014was deployed to clear debris. The same team had successfully rescued 41 construction workers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand following a landslide in 2023.
\nOfficials said that approximately 33 kilometers of the tunnel have been excavated so far, with 10 kilometers still remaining.
\nChallenging rescue conditions
\nRescuers are using a train and conveyor belt system to remove debris while continuously pumping out water to maintain oxygen levels inside the tunnel. However, rough terrain has significantly slowed the operation.
\nFirefighters from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indian Army personnel are on-site assisting with the mission.
\nFamilies await news
\nAs the rescue operation continues, families of the trapped workers\u2014most of them daily wage laborers\u2014are anxiously awaiting updates. \u201cI just hope my son comes back safe. I will never send him away to earn again,\u201d said Rampratap Sahu, a resident of Jharkhand state.
\nThe accident occurred 13 kilometers from the tunnel\u2019s entrance when a concrete slab covering seepage in the roof slipped and collapsed. At least 12 workers sustained injuries in the incident.
\nThe SLBC tunnel is part of Telangana\u2019s longest-running irrigation project, located in a hilly, forested region passing through the Nagarjuna Sagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, the largest in India.
\nConstruction work had resumed just four days before the collapse after being stalled for nearly three years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Telangana Rescue operations are underway in India\u2019s southern state of Telangana to save eight construction workers who have been trapped inside a collapsed tunnel since more than 72 hours. The incident occurred early Saturday morning when a section of the roof of the 43-kilometre Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel caved in, trapping workers inside. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":463863,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-463850","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n