Rescue operation was underway at a brisk pace inside the partially collapsed SLBC project tunnel in Telangana on Saturday as cadaver dogs deployed to locate human presence identified two possible spots. The rescue personnel have been removing the silt at the locations identified by the dogs.

Eight persons remained trapped inside the tunnel since February 22, after a part of it collapsed.

State Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who has been supervising the rescue operation, is likely to visit the tunnel site on Saturday and hold a meeting with officials, official sources said.

The cadaver dogs of the Kerala police joined the operation on Friday morning with rescue teams taking the canines inside the tunnel. The dogs are trained to locate missing humans and human bodies.

The cadaver dogs of Kerala police (of the Belgian Malinois breed) can detect smell even from a depth of 15 feet, officials said.

Eight persons — engineers and labourers — have been trapped in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project tunnel since February 22 and experts from the NDRF, Indian Army, Navy and other agencies are making relentless efforts to pull them out to safety.

The rescue operation has been going on amid challenging conditions, including slush and seepage of water. 

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