Telangana Tunnel Rescue: Rat miners brought in, "hopeful" of getting success

These are the same Rat miners who were part of the successful rescue operation for the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand that happened on October 31st last year.

One of the miners, speaking about the situation, emphasized the challenges they will face as water in the tunnel and distance will pose a major challenge in the rescue operation. However, he expressed faith he getting success.

" 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 took part in the last 26-hour operation...that situation was different from here...there is difficulty as the distance where the incident has happened is 14 km from entrance point and because of water as well...it might take some time, but we hope that we will succeed," he said.

Another miner Firoz Qureshi said that they will be asked to join the ongoing operation alongside the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).

"I have come from Delhi, our whole team has come from Delhi, Collector has called us here. 6 of us have come here and 6 more will be coming, we are a team of 12 people. In Uttarakhand, we had rescued 41 labourers...till now, we have not received much information. As of now, we have been told that we need to go along with NDRF and SDRF teams. It will be difficult to say something until we see the situation there," he added.

Meanwhile, rescue operations continue at the site of the collapse of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC), where 8 workers are said to be trapped.

District Collector Badhavath Santhosh provided an update on the ongoing rescue operations. Santhosh said that the primary focus remained on rescuing the workers who were trapped, noting that while the teams had been unable to reach the last 40 meters' yesterday, necessary measures are now being taken to ensure their safe retrieval.

Speaking to ANI, District Collector Badhavath Santhosh of Nagarkurnool said, "Dewatering is being done while the Indian Army, along with NDRF and SDRF, is going inside with additional equipment. Our major focus will be on rescuing the workers stuck inside. Yesterday, they could not reach the last 40 meters, and now necessary measures are being taken."

Earlier, endoscopic and robotic cameras were brought to the Nagarkurnool (SLBC) tunnel on Monday for the rescue operation. The NDRF Dog Squad has also been deployed to assist in the operation.

Speaking to ANI, L&T's endoscopic operator Dowdeep said, "Through the endoscopic camera, we can track what is happening inside the tunnel. We have done this during the rescue operation in Uttarakhand as well. Two teams have come. Endoscopic and robotic cameras have been brought."

The response force is currently working to remove the accumulated water inside the tunnel. A three-meter section of the roof of an under-construction stretch of the SLBC tunnel collapsed at the 14 km mark near Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district, Telangana, on Saturday morning.

The collapse occurred just four days after construction work had resumed following a lengthy hiatus. While some workers managed to escape, the eight remained trapped. However, due to debris blocking the area, the team has not yet been able to confirm their exact 'location', as confirmed by NDRF officials with ANI.

Speaking to ANI, NDRF Deputy Commandant Sukhendu Datta said the force had covered around 13.5 kilometres inside the tunnel, primarily using locomotives and conveyor belts. (ANI)