A team of the construction company has gone inside to assess the situation. A senior police official told news agency PTI that among those trapped inside are six to eight workers.
The incident took place when workers went inside the tunnel for some work. The roof “collapsed at 12-13 km inside the tunnel,” the official was quoted as saying.
According to NDTV, dozens of workers had managed to escape the incident, while eight are still feared trapped inside. The rescue mission to bring them out safely is currently underway.
Nagarkurnool SP Vaibhav Gaikwad, in an official statement, said, “A portion of the SLBC tunnel behind the Srisailam dam near Domalapenta experienced a collapse on Saturday. In particular, at the 14th km point, the roof of the left-side tunnel collapsed for three meters. This happened when employees were performing their duties at the site”.
Nearly a dozen workers got injured in the accident and were later rushed to a hospital near Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district, as per The Hindu.
The SLBC tunnel had re-opened only four days ago, officials said.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the accident and has alerted the official to take immediate action.
The District Collector, Superintendent of Police, Fire Department, and Irrigation Department officials among others have been directed to reach the spot at the earliest and provide relief measures, a press release from the Chief Minister’s office said.
ఎస్ఎల్బీసీ టన్నెల్ వద్ద జరిగిన ప్రమాదంపై ముఖ్యమంత్రి ఎ. రేవంత్ రెడ్డి గారు దిగ్భ్రాంతి వ్యక్తం చేశారు. టన్నెల్ వద్ద పైకప్పు కూలి పలువురికి గాయాలైన సమాచారం అందిన వెంటనే ముఖ్యమంత్రి గారు అధికారులను అప్రమత్తం చేశారు. జిల్లా కలెక్టర్, ఎస్పీ, అగ్నిమాపక శాఖ, హైడ్రా, ఇరిగేషన్ విభాగం…
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) February 22, 2025
A special helicopter was arranged for Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar and other officials to reach the accident site.
There was no contact with the ones trapped inside the tunnel, NDTV quoted Collector B Santosh as saying. He added that the internal communication mechanism had failed.
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Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy too expressed deep concern over the incident and enquired about the reasons for the same. He has told officials to make efforts to bring out the trapped workers safely. Moreover, those injured are being provided treatment.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
