Hyderabad: A day after recovering one body from the debris, rescue teams intensified efforts on Monday to locate the seven remaining missing workers in the SLBC tunnel in Nagarkurnool district, Telangana.
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Rescue Teams Work at Identified Point
Search operations, now in their 17th day, are being conducted in the last 70 meters of the 14-km-long tunnel, where eight workers were trapped following a roof collapse on February 22.
- Cadaver sniffer dogs from Kerala identified a new search point.
- Rat miners from Uttarakhand, Singareni Collieries miners, and NDRF personnel are carefully digging using mini-excavators.
One Body Recovered, Seven Still Missing
On Sunday evening, rescue workers exhumed the body of Gurpreet Singh, a TBM operator from Punjab, working for Robbins Company.
His body was sent to his hometown after medical and legal formalities at Nagarkurnool government hospital.
The seven missing workers are:
- Manoj Kumar & Sri Niwas (Uttar Pradesh)
- Sunny Singh (Jammu & Kashmir)
- Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu & Anuj Sahu (Jharkhand)
Also Read: Telangana Rescue: Body Recovered from SLBC Tunnel After Days of Search
Challenges in the Rescue Operation
Rescue teams continue to battle debris, slush, and TBM wreckage, making the last 70 meters of the tunnel particularly difficult.
- 132.5-meter-long TBM remains buried under silt and rocks.
- 42 workers managed to escape, while those in the front portion were trapped.
- SCR technicians have cut 60 meters of the TBM, but the head portion remains buried.
Technology & Manpower Deployed for Search
Authorities are employing advanced technology to accelerate the rescue:
- Ground Probing Radar (GPR) data from NGRI
- Cadaver dogs (Belgian Malinois breed) capable of detecting smell from 15 feet depth
- Robots with cameras, infrared sensors & robotic arms for debris assessment and extraction
Multi-Agency Effort & Government Response
Several agencies are involved in the massive rescue operation:
- Indian Army & Navy
- NDRF & SDRF
- Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL)
- South Central Railway (SCR)
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed condolences over Gurpreet Singh’s death and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh for his family.
Authorities remain hopeful of recovering the remaining bodies soon, as intense efforts continue in the Telangana tunnel tragedy.