On 22 February 2025, a significant tunnel collapse occurred in the Nagarkurnool district of Telangana, India, within the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project. This incident resulted in eight individuals—comprising engineers and laborers—becoming trapped inside the tunnel.[1]

The bodies of two out of eight workers who were trapped have been recovered. Over 700 personnel from various agencies are actively engaged in the ongoing search and rescue operation.[2]

Background

An agreement to build the SLBC tunnel was made in 2005 during the administration of late Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy. This is also World’s longest irrigation tunnel. It being constructed on the left bank of the Srisailam Reservoir in Telangana The tunnel would draw 30 tmc ft of water to irrigate four-lakh acres in Nalgonda and Khammam district.[3]

Collapse

The USA based The Robbins Company - which is renowned for providing Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) - was leading the work on the fateful day. Quoting Mr. Glen(the project manager), Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that 70 personnel including engineers all got into the tunnel as usual at 8 a.m. of Saturday (February 22, 2025).

“While a couple of personnel were in the front, the rest were behind. A small leak was noticed which the site engineers found not very unusual. While working in such huge projects, these small leaks are always visible and the work goes on,” Mr. Glen was quoted as telling the Minister.

However, disaster struck as there was a sudden gush of water and slush with such force that the machine was pushed back leaving the workers running for their lives. Eight persons, who were close to the point where a gaping hole occurred, could not rush out. [3]

Search and Rescue efforts

Immediately following the collapse, rescue operations were initiated by local authorities, involving over 700 personnel from various agencies. The efforts faced significant challenges due to the unstable geological conditions and the risk of further collapses.[4]

A total of eight individuals—including engineers and labourers—were trapped in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project tunnel when a portion of it collapsed on February 22.[5]

On 9 March, rescue teams recovered the body of Gurpreet Singh, a tunnel-boring machine operator from Punjab, from the tunnel. On 25 March, another body was discovered approximately 50 metres from the conveyor belt during excavation with a mini excavator.[2]

Reaction

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy visited the collapse site to oversee the rescue operations and ensure that all necessary resources were being utilized. He announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹25 lakh to the families of the deceased workers and assured that the government would take all possible measures to rescue the remaining trapped workers.[4][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Chandrashekhar, B. (15 March 2025). "Telangana tunnel collapse | Rescue work continues to trace remaining seven persons trapped under debris". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Telangana tunnel collapse: Second body found as search continues for six others". India Today. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Telangana tunnel collapse: All about world's longest irrigation tunnel in Telangana, a part of which collapsed trapping eight". The Hindu. 24 February 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Second body found at Telangana tunnel collapse site, CM Revanth Reddy takes stock". The Indian Express. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  5. ^ Zargar, Arshad R. (26 February 2025). "India tunnel collapse sparks race to find 8 trapped workers, but chances of survival deemed "very remote" - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  6. ^ "Over 30 Days Later, 2nd Body Of Telangana Tunnel Collapse Victim Located". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telangana_tunnel_collapse
No tags for this post.