SLBC tunnel roof collapse: 2 foreign engineers among those trapped, informs Uttam

Hyderabad Desk

Hyderabad: Shedding more light on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel roof collapse that occurred earlier in the day, state irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy informed there are two foreign engineers, tow machine operators and four workers from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh trapped inside.

Reddy reached the spot where the incident happened in a special helicopter and took stock of the rescue efforts that are currently underway.

Addressing the media, he said at around 8 am, the workers entered the tunnel and turned on the boring drilling machine at a 14 km distance inside the tunnel.

“After drilling to a depth of 20 meters, water began seeping in from one side of the tunnel, causing the earth to cave in. The worker operating the boring machine noticed the water leakage and immediately alerted the 42 workers behind the machine to evacuate the tunnel. However, eight workers, including two foreign engineers, who were in front of the machine got trapped and couldn’t escape,” he told the media.

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SLBC tunnel roof collapse: SCCL roped in to rescue ‘trapped’ workers

Assuring that no stone will be left unturned to rescue the trapped workers, the minister admitted that the rescue efforts have been challenging as the accident happened 14 km inside the tunnel.

SCCL roped in to rescue ‘trapped’ workers

A 19-member team from state-owned coal mining firm, Singareni Collieries Company Ltd. left for Srisailam Left Bank Canal in Nagarkurnool district on Saturday to join rescue operations to rescue the trapped workers when a portion of a roof collapsed in the under-construction stretch of the SLBC tunnel.

According to a top official of the company, SCCL has the expertise in rescuing people in such incidents and also has the necessary equipment. The rescue team from the company is headed by a general manager-level officer.

“SCCL has the necessary expertise to handle critical situations such as roof collapses. And also we have the necessary equipment imported from Australia, the USA and Poland. The machinery and rock cutters are so advanced that they can cut huge rocks and boulders within minutes,” SCCL CMD N Balram told PTI.


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