8 trapped as tunnel roof at Srisailam canal collapses | Hyderabad News
Hyderabad: At least eight people were trapped inside when a portion of the tunnel roof at Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) collapsed on Saturday morning at around 8.30 am, near Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district. Sources said around 60 workers were on site when the roof suddenly caved in by about 3-4 metres inside the tunnel.
While 52 of them managed to come out to safety, with some of them taken to hospital with injuries, eight workers remained trapped deep inside the tunnel.
These included Jaiprakash Associates Limited project engineer Manoj Kumar and field engineer Sri Niwas, both from Uttar Pradesh, four labourers from Jharkhand — Sandeep Sahu, Jataks, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahu — and two machine operators of Robbins India Company — Sunny Singh from J&K and Gurpreet Singh from Punjab.
According to sources, no communication had been established with the trapped people till reports last came in. Noises of shifting of boulders were heard till evening, indicating that the roof in collapsed areas was still unstable, the sources said.
PM Narendra Modi dialled chief minister A Revanth Reddy to enquire about the incident and assured all possible assistance from the Centre, including deployment of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, for the rescue operation.
According to senior irrigation officials, the tunnel roof collapsed due to a sudden leakage of water and soil, covering nearly 13 km of the excavation site. The SLBC tunnel is about 44 km long from the Srisailam dam’s left bank. The accident occurred about 13 km from the mouth of the tunnel. An earth fracture on the side of the tunnel wall caused the water and mud to gush in, forcing the workers to scramble to safety.
Jaiprakash Associates and Robbins India, responsible for tunnel boring, said the accident took place within 30 minutes of taking up the work at 8 am. Those positioned near the tunnel boring machine managed to escape, while workers in the front section of the tunnel got trapped, representatives of the companies said. The works were immediately halted, and supervisors quickly evacuated as many workers as possible.
Officials said the ventilation system inside the tunnel remained functional, ensuring oxygen supply to the trapped workers. Ambulances and medical teams are on high alert.
Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Jupally Krishna Rao, who were at the accident site, said state govt had requested the assistance of the Army, NDRF and SCCL for the rescue efforts. The Army teams are expected to arrive at the site by Saturday night.
Uttam said govt had reached out to experts who had handled similar tunnel accidents in Uttarakhand. Govt had also decided to involve Singareni teams that specialise in mine mishap rescues, the irrigation minister added.
Uttam said the Robbins company was a globally recognised firm in tunnel excavation, while Jaiprakash Associates had extensive experience in infrastructure projects. “The govt is ensuring necessary technical support and logistics to these companies to speed up the rescue operation,” he said.
CM Revanth Reddy had instructed senior officials to monitor rescue operations. “We are consulting tunnel work experts to aid the rescue efforts,” the chief minister’s office said. The CM also urged the rescue teams to remain vigilant and follow safety protocols.
While 52 of them managed to come out to safety, with some of them taken to hospital with injuries, eight workers remained trapped deep inside the tunnel.
These included Jaiprakash Associates Limited project engineer Manoj Kumar and field engineer Sri Niwas, both from Uttar Pradesh, four labourers from Jharkhand — Sandeep Sahu, Jataks, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahu — and two machine operators of Robbins India Company — Sunny Singh from J&K and Gurpreet Singh from Punjab.
According to sources, no communication had been established with the trapped people till reports last came in. Noises of shifting of boulders were heard till evening, indicating that the roof in collapsed areas was still unstable, the sources said.
PM Narendra Modi dialled chief minister A Revanth Reddy to enquire about the incident and assured all possible assistance from the Centre, including deployment of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, for the rescue operation.
According to senior irrigation officials, the tunnel roof collapsed due to a sudden leakage of water and soil, covering nearly 13 km of the excavation site. The SLBC tunnel is about 44 km long from the Srisailam dam’s left bank. The accident occurred about 13 km from the mouth of the tunnel. An earth fracture on the side of the tunnel wall caused the water and mud to gush in, forcing the workers to scramble to safety.
Jaiprakash Associates and Robbins India, responsible for tunnel boring, said the accident took place within 30 minutes of taking up the work at 8 am. Those positioned near the tunnel boring machine managed to escape, while workers in the front section of the tunnel got trapped, representatives of the companies said. The works were immediately halted, and supervisors quickly evacuated as many workers as possible.
Officials said the ventilation system inside the tunnel remained functional, ensuring oxygen supply to the trapped workers. Ambulances and medical teams are on high alert.
Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Jupally Krishna Rao, who were at the accident site, said state govt had requested the assistance of the Army, NDRF and SCCL for the rescue efforts. The Army teams are expected to arrive at the site by Saturday night.
Uttam said govt had reached out to experts who had handled similar tunnel accidents in Uttarakhand. Govt had also decided to involve Singareni teams that specialise in mine mishap rescues, the irrigation minister added.
Uttam said the Robbins company was a globally recognised firm in tunnel excavation, while Jaiprakash Associates had extensive experience in infrastructure projects. “The govt is ensuring necessary technical support and logistics to these companies to speed up the rescue operation,” he said.
CM Revanth Reddy had instructed senior officials to monitor rescue operations. “We are consulting tunnel work experts to aid the rescue efforts,” the chief minister’s office said. The CM also urged the rescue teams to remain vigilant and follow safety protocols.
