Hyderabad, Feb 28 The operation to rescue eight trapped persons in a partially collapsed tunnel continued in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district, said a top official on Friday while denying reports that rescue teams found dead bodies.
Nagarkurnool district Collector Badavath Santosh told the media that the news on some channels about bodies being found is fake.
He urged the media not to broadcast any such news without confirmation as it creates panic.
Asked about reports that scanning of the tunnel by Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology revealed certain points where human bodies may be found, he said the rescue operation was continuing as per the findings of the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI).
"NGRI has identified certain points but we can’t say it is 100 percent correct. It can be metal or it can be something else. We are moving forward as per their finding,” the Collector said adding that if they find anything they would inform the media through officials.
Desilting and machine cutting continued as part of the intensified rescue operation, he said.
To speed up the rescue efforts, the authorities are implementing a well-structured plan, utilising advanced technology. The water inside the accident site is being pumped out, and debris is being cleared using plasma gas cutters, officials said. The necessary rescue equipment is being kept ready to ensure swift operations. The conveyor belt will be brought into use as soon as possible, and excavators have been prepared to remove the sludge.
Special cameras and sensors are being used to continuously monitor the internal conditions of the tunnel.
The District Collector along with the SP, Special Secretary, Irrigation, Prashant Jeevan Patil, NDRF Officer Sukhendu, TSSPDCL CMD Musharraf Ali and officials of the Army, the Singareni Collieries, HYDRAA, JP company reviewed the rescue operations.
He said that medical teams have ensured the availability of oxygen. To expedite the rescue operations, 12 teams are working continuously, including the Army, the NDRF, the SDRF, Singareni Mines Rescue, the Fire Services, the National Geophysical Research Institute, the HYDRAA, South Central Railway plasma cutters, and rat miners. He explained that these teams are coordinating their efforts to accelerate the rescue operations.
Massive rescue operations by 12 agencies continued in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel for the seventh day.
Two workers were injured and eight others trapped when a portion of the tunnel roof collapsed on February 22 at the 14th km point.
The trapped persons including two engineers and two machine operators hail from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
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