The operation to rescue eight labourers trapped inside Telangana’s Srisailam Left Bank Canal or SLBC tunnel is in its final stages said state Irrigation & Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N Uttam Kumar Reddy. The rescue, he said, will be completed within two days.

For this last stretch, Indian Marine Commando Force (MARCOS) and the Border Roads Organisation have been roped in, the minister said.

Following an extensive field assessment over the last two days, Mr Reddy said a concrete plan of action has now been finalised to ensure the safety of both rescuers and survivors.  

“The assessment yesterday was that the people going in to rescue and bring out the survivors would themselves be at great risk,” he said. 

But after fresh assessment, new strategies have been devised to minimise risk for rescuers. 

“We now have a well-defined plan, and we are accelerating the rescue and relief operations with greater speed,” he said. The experts, he said, are exploring alternate access routes, “including approaching from the side and the main exit, to expedite the rescue”.  

One of the biggest challenges in the rescue effort has been the muddy water obstructing access to the Tunnel Boring Machine where the labourers are trapped. To counter this, the state has intensified dewatering operations.  

The experts are continuously assessing the structural stability of the tunnel, ensuring that rescue teams could proceed safely without any risks to either the trapped workers or the responders.  

Officials have been asked to accelerate debris removal and reinforce weakened sections of the tunnel to prevent any further mishap.

The minister said Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was personally monitoring the situation, directing that all critical agencies remain stationed at the site until the workers are rescued. 

The labourers got trapped when a section of the tunnel in Nagarkurnool district collapsed on Saturday morning. The minister had earlier said there is little hope of finding any survivors. .