**EDS: THIRD PARTY IMAGE** In this image released by @IaSouthern via X on Monday, Feb. 7, 2025 Indian Army's Engineer Task force carries rescue operation at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project site where a part of the tunnel collapsed. (@IaSouthern via PTI Photo) (PTI03_03_2025_000224B)
Rescue efforts to locate seven workers trapped inside the partially collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana are moving forward rapidly. The state government has enlisted nearly a dozen agencies, including robotics firms and expert miners, to aid in the operation. On Sunday, rescue personnel re-entered the tunnel with specialized equipment, utilizing autonomous hydraulic-powered robots to remove debris. Authorities have deployed a high-capacity liquid ring vacuum pump and vacuum tank machine to speed up soil removal, while a conveyor belt system is helping clear approximately 620 cubic meters of soil per hour.
The large-scale rescue mission involves multiple agencies working round the clock, including the Army, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Singareni Collieries, human remains detection dogs, and a Hyderabad-based robotics company. The operation has been ongoing since the tunnel partially collapsed in Nagarkurnool, trapping eight workers inside. The group included four laborers, two machine operators, and two engineers. On March 9, rescuers recovered the body of Gurpreet Singh, a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) operator, and handed it over to his family in Punjab.
The remaining seven trapped workers have been identified as Manoj Kumar from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh from Jammu & Kashmir, and Gurpreet Singh from Punjab. The others—Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, and Anuj Sahu—are from Jharkhand. Rescue teams continue to work tirelessly using advanced technology and expert personnel in an effort to safely retrieve the remaining workers from the collapsed tunnel.