Hyderabad, 23 February (H.S.): The situation at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project site has been tense since a section of the tunnel collapsed 24 hours ago, trapping engineers and workers inside. However, there is some hope as rescuers have made significant progress in reaching the trapped individuals.

As operations to extricate them continue, sources have reported that no response has been received from the trapped people despite their names being called out. Rescue personnel have been able to reach up to the 13th km inside the tunnel, which is a short distance from where the collapse occurred. State Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and J Krishna Rao have also arrived at the site to oversee the rescue efforts.

The teams are facing challenges in clearing debris filled with heavy materials like iron, muck, and cement blocks. However, they have managed to reach the point where the Tunnel Boring Machine was last placed before the collapse.

As of now, it is uncertain how many people are still trapped inside, but sources confirm that eight individuals were working at the site when the accident happened. Of these, six belong to Jaiprakash Associates and two are employees of a US company.

The rescue teams are working tirelessly to reach these individuals and bring them to safety.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar