Hyderabad, March 3: The rescue operation in the partially collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district entered its 10th day on Monday, with the authorities exploring the possibility of using robots to trace the eight trapped men.

Multiple rescue teams of various agencies of the Centre and state continued desilting and machine-cutting at the locations identified by the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) after scanning the accident site through Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).

The rescue teams of the Army, Navy, NDRF, SDRF, Singareni Mines Rescue, Fire Services, HYDRAA, South Central Railway plasma cutters, and Rat Miners continued to face impediments like water seepage.

The rescue workers are unable to remove silt, water and debris from the tunnel due to lack of a functional conveyor belt. Technical teams were busy repairing the belt, and it is expected to become functional by Monday evening, and this is expected to help in speeding up the rescue operation.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday suggested the use of robots in the tunnel in which eight persons have remained trapped since February 22.

The Chief Minister, who visited the tunnel and held a review meeting with agencies involved in the rescue operation, asked officials to examine the possibility of using robots to prevent any further loss of life.

“Eight missing persons have not yet been traced. Experts have not concluded whether they are alive or dead,” he said.

The Chief Minister said it may take another 2-3 days for the rescue workers to come to a conclusion.

Chief Minister Reddy said the agencies involved in the rescue have not been able to come to a conclusion about the location of the machines and human beings, though they have tentatively identified the areas.

He assured that the state government would extend all help to the families of eight persons who had come from other states to work as engineers, machine operators or labourers. Stating that helping them is the responsibility of the government, he stressed the need for all to come together to console the families affected by the accident.

Two workers were injured, and eight others were trapped when a portion of the tunnel roof collapsed on February 22 at the 14th km point.

The trapped persons have been identified as Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh (J&K), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab) and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahau, all from Jharkhand.

Of the eight, two are engineers, two are operators, and the remaining four are labourers. They were employed by Jaiprakash Associates, the contracting firm for the tunnel project

Mumbai: A fire broke out in a residential flat on the fifth floor of a six-storey building in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area on Saturday afternoon. The incident occurred around 12:45 pm at Vikas Apartment, located behind Pant Nagar police station in Ghatkopar East. Visuals of the blaze have surfaced on the internet showing massive flames coming out of the flat’s window.

According to a media report quoting fire brigade officials, the blaze was swiftly brought under control, and no injuries were reported. A fire engine and a water tanker were dispatched to the site to carry out the firefighting operation and the flames were completely doused by 1:20 pm. The exact cause behind the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Fire On 42nd Floor Of Byculla High-rise

This incident follows another major fire that erupted on Friday morning in a high-rise residential building, Salsette 27, located on B A Road, Byculla East. The fire broke out in a flat on the 42nd floor of the 57-storey tower. The Mumbai Fire Brigade received the first alert about the blaze at approximately 10:45 am, and it was successfully extinguished by 1:10 pm. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.

According to Mumbai Fire Brigade officials, Salsette 27 is a newly constructed high-rise that is only partially occupied. The fire originated in flat number 4203, which was vacant and undergoing renovation at the time.

Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Ravindra Ambulgekar stated that while the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, there is a possibility that renovation work might have contributed to the incident. He also confirmed that the building’s internal firefighting system was in working condition.

Some residents reportedly evacuated the building before emergency services reached the scene, while others were safely escorted out by fire officials.

Hyderabad, March 1: The operation to rescue eight trapped persons in a partially collapsed tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district entered the final stage on Saturday, a week after the tragedy, with the government refuting reports of bodies being found.

Ambulances were kept ready near the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel amid intensified desilting and machine-cutting operations by multiple rescue teams.

The rescue teams of Army, Navy, NDRF, SDRF, Singareni Mines Rescue, Fire Services, National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), HYDRAA, South Central Railway plasma cutters, and Rat Miners were focussing on five locations identified by NGRI after scanning the accident site through Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).

The NGRI experts traced some soft material under the debris in the last 10-15 metres of the tunnel but were not sure whether it was the people trapped inside. Five to seven-metre-high silt deposits have to be cleared at these five locations.

The rescue workers were also busy repairing the conveyor belt. Once this becomes functional, the pace of rescue operations is expected to gather further speed.

Officials said continuous water seepage remained the biggest impediment in the rescue efforts.

Nagarkurnool District Collector Badavath Santosh on Friday night denied that rescue workers found bodies. He urged the media not to broadcast any such news without confirmation as it creates panic.

“NGRI has identified certain points but we can’t say it is 100 per cent correct. It can be metal or it can be something else. We are moving forward as per their finding,” the Collector said.

To speed up the rescue efforts, the authorities are implementing a well-structured plan, utilising advanced technology. The water inside the accident site is being pumped out, and debris is being cleared using plasma gas cutters, officials said.

The necessary rescue equipment is being kept ready to ensure swift operations. The conveyor belt will be brought into use as soon as possible, and excavators have been prepared to remove the sludge, they said.

Special cameras and sensors are being used to continuously monitor the internal conditions of the tunnel.

Two workers were injured and eight others trapped when a portion of the tunnel roof collapsed on February 22 at the 14th km point.

The trapped persons have been identified as Manoj Kumar (UP), Sri Niwas (UP), Sunny Singh (J&K), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab) and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahau, all from Jharkhand.

Of the eight, two are engineers, two are operators and remaining four are labourers.

They were employed by Jaiprakash Associates, the contracting firm for the tunnel project