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At least eight workers are trapped after a portion of an under-construction tunnel collapsed in Telangana on Saturday. The collapse occurred on a portion of the tunnel behind the Srisailam dam when some workers had gone inside to repair a leak.
While dozens of them managed to escape, eight workers are trapped inside, and a rescue mission has begun to bring them out to safety. The tunnel has collapsed over 10 metres and mud has spread over 200 metres, said a senior official. Officials said four of the trapped workers are from Jharkhand, two from Uttar Pradesh, one from Jammu and Kashmir, and one from Punjab.
The tunnel is located in Amrabad on the under-construction stretch of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) in Nagarkurnool district.
"A portion of the SLBC tunnel behind the Srisailam dam near Domalapenta experienced a collapse on Saturday. In particular, at the 14th km point, the roof of the left-side tunnel collapsed for three meters. This happened when employees were performing their duties at the site," said an official statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to get an update on the situation and offered all help from the Centre in rescuing the trapped workers.
Telangana's irrigation minister, Uttam Kumar Reddy, explained the sequence of events and said, "First the water started coming in slowly and soon the flow increased up to 8 metres. For 20 minutes they (workers) stayed inside and got as many people as possible outside They heard a geological disturbance. Except for those in front of the boring machine, everyone came out."
The tunnel had reopened just four days ago, it added.
The minister said "It was meant to be the world's longest tunnel of its kind at 44 km. Two tunnel-boring machines were at work from either side and 20 km was dug on one side and 14 km on the other side. In between 9.5 km most tricky because of seepage so they were working while dewatering the tunnel."
Collector B Santosh said there has been no contact with those trapped and the internal communication mechanism has also failed. The air chamber and conveyor belt have both collapsed.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the incident in an online post, and while he mentioned several people were injured in the collapse, he did not share any exact figures.
"After receiving information about the tunnel collapse and several injuries, the Chief Minister immediately alerted the officials. He ordered the District Collector, SP, Fire Department, Hydra and Irrigation Department officials to immediately reach the spot and provide relief measures," he said.
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar and other officials from his department have left for the accident site in a special helicopter, the post added.
Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy has also enquired about the reasons that led to the tunnel accident and asked officials to bring out those trapped to safety. In an X post, he said he has also asked officials to provide treatment to those who suffered injuries.