Telangana tunnel collapse: Rescuers racking brains to achieve breakthrough as silt, water pose threat

Political slugfest over incident continues between Cong and BRS

PTI, NAGARKURNOOL, FEB 25, 2025 :  Top experts from the Indian Army, Navy, NDRF, GSI, and other agencies made relentless efforts on Tuesday to find a breakthrough in the collapsed SLBC tunnel rescue work amidst the threat to the lives of rescuers due to the continuous flow of silt and water.

Addressing media persons, Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy cited experts who described this as the most complex and difficult tunnel rescue operation in the world, or at least in India, as there is only one entry or exit to the SLBC tunnel. Reddy opined that the collapse might have taken place due to a slight tectonic shift and because some geological fault lines had given way.

It is the fourth day since eight persons have been trapped in the partially collapsed tunnel of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project.

"There is one problem. The flow of silt and water into the tunnel at a very high speed continues. So there was one opinion expressed by some experts that the people going into the rescue, even their lives could be endangered. So, we are a responsible government, we are taking the best expert opinion, and we will take a final call on that (on how to go about it)," he said.

The political slugfest over the accident continued as BRS Working President K T Rama Rao sought a judicial probe into the incident, while Congress Lok Sabha member Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy dismissed the demand, stating that this is not the time for politics and that the focus should be on rescuing those trapped inside the tunnel.

Minister Reddy noted that experts from 11 agencies, such as the Indian Army, the Marine Commando Force (MARCOS) of the Navy, NDRF, SDRF, GSI, Rat Miners, and Singareni Collieries Company Ltd, are working round the clock to save the eight lives.

To explore alternative approaches, Reddy said experts are assessing the feasibility of drilling from the top and side of the tunnel while ensuring all necessary safety precautions.

"We are constantly evaluating every possible method to reach the trapped workers while prioritising their safety," he said.