Telangana Tunnel Collapse: Rescue Attempt Underway, Rat Miners Join the Rescue Effort

Telangana Tunnel Collapse: Rescue attempts are underway at Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Nagarkurnool, Telangana, where eight individuals are still trapped after a tunnel collapse. Amongst those who are believed trapped are four laborers, two company staff, and two foreign workers.

The accident occurred on February 22 as a result of an unexpected flow of water and soil, leading to a collapse of a part of the tunnel. Rescue operations have been under way ever since to remove the trapped people, with authorities mobilizing expert rescue teams and cutting-edge technology to aid in the operation.

Rat miners, who were instrumental in the 2023 Uttarkashi tunnel collapse rescue operation, have reached Nagarkurnool to assist with the rescue process. The miners are experts at crawling through confined, rubble-clogged areas to access people who are trapped deep underground. Firoz Qureshi, an experienced rat miner from Delhi, said that six of his team members had reached there while six more would be arriving shortly.

#WATCH | A rat miner says, " We have come from Delhi…we will go inside along with the NDRF and SDRF teams. We will be able to say something when we see the situation inside…our 12-member team rescued the labourers when an incident took place in Uttarakhand during Diwali…we… pic.twitter.com/ziXEeDOZxk

— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2025

We have arrived here at the behest of the district collector. Our whole team is ready, but until we observe the actual situation inside the tunnel, it is hard to make any predictions,” Qureshi said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Apart from the rat miners, officials have also sent endoscopic and robotic cameras to gauge the situation within the collapsed tunnel. L&T’s endoscopic operator Dowdeep said that the same technology was successfully employed in Uttarakhand’s rescue efforts.

Government and Ministerial Response

Telangana Roads and Buildings Minister, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, went to the spot and hopes for the safe rescue of the trapped people. “It’s a very unfortunate accident. I hope God these eight individuals are still alive. Our first priority is to rescue them,” he informed the media.

At the same time, Telangana Minister Jupalli Krishna Rao gave a somber report, saying that the survival chances seem “very, very remote.” Talking to PTI after going to the site of the accident, he explained, “I went up to nearly 50 meters short of the mishap location. The tunnel is almost 9 meters in diameter, but debris has accumulated to 25 feet.”

Estimated Duration of Rescue Operation

As informed by Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, the rescue efforts will take at least three to four more days. He clarified that even though several organizations have been collaborating, getting all the debris out will take time.

“Removing all the debris, even with every effort possible, it will take a minimum of three to four days to get the trapped people out,” he told PTI.

The mishap has generated extensive worry, with state officials, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) all doing their best to complete a successful rescue.

ADVERTISEMENT

A specialist dog unit from the state government has also been sent in to help locate survivors. Specialists and engineers are on the scene assessing the tunnel’s structural integrity and formulating the best possible strategy for extracting survivors safely.

As the rescue mission goes on, the relatives of the trapped workers, as well as citizens throughout the state, are praying for a miracle. The rescue teams are still committed to doing all they can to rescue the eight trapped workers to safety.

Stay tuned for more updates on this ongoing story.