Rescue efforts to reach eight Indians trapped in tunnel enter fifth day (VIDEO) — RT India

Rescue efforts are ongoing to save eight workers reportedly trapped 14 km inside a giant irrigation tunnel in southern state of Telangana, India, after a roof section collapsed on Saturday.

Although no contact has been established with the workers caught in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel, an Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team had reached the last point of the roof of the collapse on Tuesday, local media reports said.

The tunnel, which has a single entry and exit point, according to experts who spoke to PTI, has become unstable, with massive seepage of 3,000 to 5,000 litres of water per minute, severely hindering the rescue operation.

Eleven specialized rescue teams from the central and state governments, as well as other agencies, have been working to rescue the trapped workers. 

Rescue teams have been hindered by a 40-50 meter section where water, mud, and debris have accumulated, slowing their progress for the past four days, the Times of India has reported. A combination of silt and water is making it extremely challenging for the rescue teams to carry out their task. In some of the videos, rescue teams were heard repeatedly calling out names of those trapped.

Rescue agencies have deployed drones, sniffer digs and other equipment, according to The Hindu, while thermocol boats have been used to navigate the challenging tunnel, the report added.

The Telangana state government has sought a study by National Centre of Seismology to assess the volume of cracks and the extent of water saturation in the affected area, The Hindu reported, feeling speculation that the collapse could have been caused by a minor tectonic shift.

Experts have warned that the combination of heavy flow of slit and water and extremely limited visibility both hinders reuse efforts and puts the lives of the teams at risk.

The situation has been deemed more challenging than the last similar incident, in 2023, when a section of the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in India’s northern Uttarakhand state caved in and trapped 41 construction workers. All 41 were eventually rescued by emergency teams.

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