NEW DELHI: National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Commander VVN Prasanna Kumar on Monday said that the rescue operations are in full swing to save eight workers trapped since February 22 in the collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Nagarkurnool, with twelve agencies working continuously to locate the victims.
The rescue effort has now entered its ninth day, involving approximately 300 personnel from various organizations including 100 NDRF members, SDRF, Indian Army, and Singareni teams.

“Actually, the operation is going on in full swing. Approximately twelve agencies are working around the clock to find the victims. Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate them so far,” said the NDRF Commandant.
Both the Telangana and Central governments have deployed top experts from across the country for this complex rescue operation.
“Due to the complexity of the tunnel operation, we could not achieve success so far. However, maximum manpower is engaged in a planned manner, and hopefully, we will get success in a short time,” Kumar said.
The main challenge facing rescuers is a damaged 1,500-ton Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) inside the tunnel, as confirmed by the NDRF Commandant.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy visited the tunnel site on Sunday to assess the ongoing rescue operation.
BJP MLAs also visited the accident site on Saturday to evaluate the situation.
BJP MLA Maheshwar Reddy criticized both current and previous state governments for the incident, citing mismanagement as the cause of the disaster.
“Rescue operation is underway, but the state government is responsible for this incident. They neglected several issues and started the work, because of which today, the lives of eight people are in danger. The state government should take responsibility for this incident,” said Maheshwar Reddy.
Kumar emphasized that multiple agencies are coordinating their efforts, with the Telangana and Central governments providing expert assistance to navigate the complex rescue operation.
The extensive rescue team continues their round-the-clock efforts to locate and save the trapped workers as the operation enters its second week.