Hyderabad

Rescue teams in the partially-collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district on Tuesday found traces of human remains near the loco train track close to the accident site.

Various agencies involved in the rescue operation to trace seven missing persons took up digging around the spot where the traces were found. The rescue workers hope to pull out the remains by evening.

Some rescue workers engaged in digging work in the last 50 meters of the 14-km-long tunnel noticed a foul smell from a spot near the loco track and alerted the officials. The agencies were now focussing their efforts on the spot which is said to be outside D1 and D2, where the missing workers were suspected to be buried under the rubble.

A portion of the roof tunnel had collapsed on February 22, trapping eight persons.

The body of Gurpreet Singh, a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) operator from Punjab was recovered on March 9.

However, the search for the remaining missing persons by several agencies has not yet yielded any results due to various impediments.

Multiple agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), and Anvi Robotics were continuing the rescue operation.

They were continuing digging at spots identified by the cadaver dog squad from Kerala. In hazardous areas near TBM, robotic technology is being deployed for safety reasons.

The seven persons yet to be traced are Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh (Jammu and Kashmir) and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahu, all from Jharkhand.

At a review meeting in Hyderabad on Monday, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy directed the officials to expedite the rescue operations.

He instructed Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari to appoint senior IAS officer Shiva Shankar Loteti as a Special Officer to continuously monitor the rescue operations.

The officials informed the Chief Minister that 25 agencies, including various wings of the Central and state governments as well as private organisations, were engaged in the rescue operations. A total of 700 personnel have been involved in the operation.

The official said the rescue teams are removing the debris of collapsed rocks, dismantling TBM parts, and clearing soil mounds, silt, and water from the tunnel.

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They explained that rescue operations were delayed due to poor air and light conditions as the accident occurred 14 kilometres from the inlet. About 30 meters of the accident area has been identified as the most dangerous zone. The officials also clarified that rescue operations will have to be carried out in the tunnel according to the scientific studies of the GSI and NGRI.

The Chief Minister asked officials to take all necessary permissions from the Union government for the emergency works to be carried out in the tunnel.