Telangana tunnel collapse: Rescue ops under way, damaged conveyor likely to be operational

A police official on Monday evening said the state government is exploring the option of deploying robots in the rescue operation to prevent any threat to the rescue personnel.

Hyderabad: Rescue efforts for eight trapped workers in the SLBC tunnel in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district received a significant boost on Tuesday with the repair and restoration of a previously defunct conveyor belt.

Rescue teams believe the restored conveyor belt will substantially accelerate their operations by facilitating easier removal of metal debris, mud, and slush. Since February 22, when a partial tunnel roof collapse trapped eight excavation workers, the accumulated debris and mud had been a major hindrance to all rescue attempts.

Nagarkurnool SP Vaibhav Gaikwad confirmed that the conveyor belt became operational Tuesday morning. Additionally, railway plasma machines are now actively removing mechanical debris, which is allowing excavators to proceed more effectively.

The rescue team, comprising multiple agencies including Singareni Collieries, rat miners, NDRF, SDRF, Jaypee company, South Central Railway, and other government and private organizations, continued to work in three shifts, he said.

In a parallel development, the Telangana government has requested the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) to conduct a detailed seismological study and assess the structural integrity of the SLBC tunnel, where ongoing rescue operations have breached the ten day-mark.