Railway Sends Metal-Cutting Specialists to Aid Tunnel Rescue in Telangana

Hyderabad- Seven days after eight persons were trapped when the roof of an under-construction tunnel collapsed in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district, the search operation continued on Friday with no signs of survivors.

South Central Railway (SCR) has dispatched specialized metal-cutting teams with advanced equipment to assist in the ongoing rescue efforts at the partially collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel.

The deployment came after Nagarkurnool district officials requested SCR's assistance in clearing metal debris that has been impeding rescue operations. The railway promptly responded by sending two expert teams to the site.

The first team, led by Divisional Mechanical Engineer S. Murali, includes one senior section engineer, 13 welders, and two technicians from Secunderabad, Lallaguda, and Rayanapadu workshops. A second support team, comprising one senior section engineer and four technicians, is also en route to the location.

The specialists arrived with essential equipment including plasma cutting machines, Brocho cutting machinery, portable air compressors, oxygen cylinders, welding machines, and various safety gear. According to SCR officials, these resources are being utilized to clear debris and accelerate rescue efforts.

Rescue workers are currently using plasma cutters to remove damaged sections of the Tunnel Boring Machine's (TBM) tail portion, which is blocking access to the area where the workers are trapped. Efforts are also underway to extend a loco train to the furthest point possible and make the conveyor belt operational.

The complex rescue operation involves multiple agencies including the Army, Navy, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and specialized miners. Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who is overseeing the operation, stated that high-grade shutters and debris removal machinery are being employed under the guidance of international experts who are directing the rescue strategy.

On Thursday, five teams removed 6,000 cubic meters of silt. Meanwhile, SCCL decided to send 200 more rescue workers for the operation, which continued for the seventh day.

About 100 personnel have already reached the tunnel with advanced equipment. SCCL Chairman and Managing Director N. Balram said if necessary, the company would send more men for the rescue. Special Chief Secretary of Disaster Management Arvind Kumar is supervising the rescue operation from the site office at the mouth of the 14-km-long tunnel.

Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who is monitoring the rescue operation, said plasma cutters, high-grade shutters, and debris removal machinery were being used while international experts were overseeing the strategy.

He said dewatering processes had been reactivated to clear obstructions. He posted on ‘X’ that a multi-agency rescue operation was in full swing at the tunnel, with the country’s best experts and advanced equipment deployed to save the trapped workers. The rescue and relief operations would be completed within two to three days, and the tunnel works would resume in two to three months, he added.

The authorities imposed restrictions at the site after a visit by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders led by former minister T. Harish Rao amid a tense situation. Uttar Kumar Reddy said precautionary restrictions had been imposed at the site to ensure the safety of both workers and rescuers.

The minister stated that the incident was one of the most complicated and complex tunnel accidents in Indian history, and for the first time, so many national and international agencies have been brought together under a unified command for the rescue mission. “This is an extremely challenging operation, and the best experts in the field are involved. They are working selflessly, risking their own lives to complete this rescue,” he added. The Minister also announced that after the workers were safely rescued, the government would ensure that tunnel works resume in the next two to three months and are completed within the stipulated time.