Survivors Recall Telangana Tunnel Chaos Where 8 Workers Are Trapped:

As the effort to save eight workers stricken within the incomplete Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel continues, a sense of despondency hangs in the air in the workers’ cocoon in Domalapenta, Telangana. The operation has shifted to the rescue mission alongside a more search-and- recovery approach. There is already a myriad of emotions within this colony of laborers. All these feelings stem from one brutal truth – some comrades will never return to see the life that they have given everything up for.

The tunnel partly fell apart on Saturday.

The incident took place 13.5 km from the working entrance to the tunnel when a segment of the side elevated it skipped caving out. From the total of fifty workers which were inside it concurrently, forty-two have exited, but eight resorted themselves inside the ModUndergroundal Ropes. The survivors remember how they had to literally run for their lives as various debris started spilling downwards covering their work colleagues in rubble.

“Currently, we have drained the water from the site and are in the process of removing the slush. We still have approximately 100 meters to clear,” on Sunday evening stated NDRF commandant Prasanna Kumar, who was present on the site. “Our goal is to reach out to the workers who are stuck, but haven’t received any response so far,” he emphasized.

Rescue operations are being discussed in which they will either attempt to drill from above, approach from the side, or dredge the area.

The following workers have been identified as TRAPPED: Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sandeep Sahu, Jagta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahu from Jharkhand, Sunny Singh from Jammu and Kashmir, Gurpreet Singh from Punjab.

Anuj’s cousin Sanjiv Sahu looks absolutely horrified with what he has just witnessed. “We entered together and it was my turn to follow him, then suddenly the roof caved in. I lost sight of him and had no clue that he was behind me,” he explained while glancing around, his eyes filled with tears.

Meanwhile, anger grows among the workers because there is no payment to show for the amount of work done. As Sanjiv explains, “We put ourselves in danger every day, but there are some who haven’t been paid for the last three months. Our private contractor owes us so much money, and is refusing to pay what is rightfully owed.”

The indefinite closure of the tunnel casts a shadow of doubt over the future of workers in this sector. A worker on site since 2019, Raj Kumar, said, "The colony is silent. The pace of talking, eating and working has reduced to a near standstill. We are only sitting and waiting while hoping for some news.”

As the families and co-workers impatiently wait, the ongoing rescue activities hope for a sign from the eight men who remain trapped below ground.