Hyderabad, April 9 Rescue operations in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district to trace six missing persons have been intensified, with the rescue teams making substantial progress in restoring the loco train track, officials said on Wednesday.
On the 48th day of the rescue operation, officials of various agencies were conducting a thorough inspection of the accident site in the partially collapsed tunnel.
The loco train track is being restored while simultaneous operations were underway for soil excavation, steel cutting, and dewatering. The conveyor belt and ventilation systems are being advanced in line with the excavation progress.
According to officials, rescue teams are working tirelessly and continuously to trace the missing persons.
The operation is said to have entered the final stage, while restoration of the loco track till the 13.88 km point is being sped up.
It was on February 22 that a portion of the tunnel's roof collapsed, trapping eight workers.
Bodies of two workers have been found and handed over to their families, but there has been no trace of the other six so far.
The body of Gurpreet Singh, a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) operator from Punjab, was recovered on March 9.
The body of Manoj Kumar, a project engineer from Uttar Pradesh, was pulled out on March 25.
The Telangana government has announced Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia each to the families of the deceased.
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 operation to trace the remaining six persons.
The missing persons are Sri Niwas (UP), Sunny Singh (J&K) and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahu, all from Jharkhand.
The rescue workers continued digging at spots identified by the cadaver dog squad from Kerala. In hazardous areas near TBM, robotic technology was also deployed for safety reasons.
At a review meeting in Hyderabad on March 24, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy directed the officials to expedite the rescue operations.
Senior IAS officer Shiva Shankar Loteti was appointed Special Officer to monitor the rescue operations.
As many as 25 agencies, including various wings of the Central and State governments and private organisations, are engaged in the rescue operations. A total of 700 personnel have been involved in the rescue operations.
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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