Hope of finding the trapped people alive dwindles, Jupally Krishna Rao puts chances of survival at one percent.
Published Mar 01, 2025 | 4:59 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 01, 2025 | 4:59 PM
Reports said a part of the tunnel collapsed after supporting rings had caved in. (File photo)
Synopsis: Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said four trapped workers are likely to be found tomorrow (Sunday, 1 March) night, while the remaining would take another day. The minister added that there is only a 1% chance of finding the people alive.
Images captured by ground-penetrating radar identified human bodies in the debris of the partially collapsed under-construction Srisailam Left Bank Canal.
However, the chances of finding them alive are bleak, Telangana’s Minister for Tourism and Culture Jupally Krishna Rao said on Saturday, 1 March.
A dozen teams have been working in three shifts to find eight men trapped after a portion of the roof of the tunnel collapsed a week ago at Domalapenta in the Nagarkurnool district on the morning of 22 February.
“Eight people trapped in the tunnel have been identified using advanced technology. Four workers are likely to be found by tomorrow night, while it may take another day to retrieve the remaining four,” the minister told reporters.
“The situation inside the tunnel is critical, which is why the government is taking so much time. There is 99% no hope of survival for those trapped inside, though we cannot comment on the remaining 1%,” he added.
Though the National Geophysical Research Institute-deployed ground-penetrating radar had found soft objects in the debris earlier, it was not confirmed if they were the trapped men.
Tireless operation
Jaiprasad Associates, the flagship entity of the Jaypee Group, has been constructing the 44-km tunnel, part of the Alimineti Madhava Reddy Project, meant to provide water to drought-prone Nalgonda district and fluoride-affected villages.
The collapse had left the boring machine in two pieces, which made the search operation difficult, along with water that gushed into the tunnel — 400 metres below the surface — with much force.
The district administration called in the South-Central Railway to dismantle hard pieces of the machine.
Besides the Railways, the SDRF and NDRF, Army, Navy, Border Roads Organisation, Singareni Colleries, and other government and private agencies were involved in the search operation.
A 12-member team of rat miners, who turned national heroes after rescuing 41 people trapped in the 2023 Silkyara tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand, was also working to find the workers.
The trapped men have have been identified as Manoj Kumar (Uttar Pradesh); Srinivas (Uttar Pradesh); Sandeep Sahu (Jharkhand); Jata Xess (Jharkhand); Santosh Sahu (Jharkhand); Anuj Sahu (Jharkhand); Sunny Singh (Jammu & Kashmir); and Gurpreet Singh (Punjab).
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
