Telangana tunnel: Kerala cadaver dogs detect human presence under rubble
text_fields
Kerala Police's cadaver dogs assist in Telangana tunnel rescue.
Hyderabad: The ongoing 15-day rescue operation inside the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district saw a significant breakthrough on Sunday after cadaver dogs from Kerala identified a possible human presence under the rubble.
The specially trained Belgian Malinois dogs signaled at the D-2 point, approximately 100 meters from the accident site, in the final stretch of the 14-km-long tunnel. Rescue workers immediately began carefully excavating silt at the identified location, with officials hopeful of tracing some of the missing individuals by evening.
On Saturday night, the rescue teams reportedly found human remains buried six feet under the debris. Digging operations continued at the location to retrieve the body.
The two highly trained dogs, brought from Kerala via a special helicopter three days ago, are capable of detecting human scent even from a depth of 15 feet, according to officials.
Eight workers have been trapped inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project tunnel since February 22, when a section of the roof collapsed during excavation. The missing individuals include four laborers, two engineers, and two machine operators from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir.
Multiple rescue agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army, Navy, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), have been relentlessly working to locate the trapped workers.
In a bid to accelerate the rescue operation, authorities on Saturday deployed robotic technology, following a recommendation from Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy during his visit to the site on March 2.
Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy announced the use of advanced robots equipped with cameras, infrared sensors, and robotic arms to assess the conditions inside the tunnel and aid in the extraction process.
Rescue teams have managed to progress up to 13.95 km inside the tunnel, but the remaining 50 meters remain highly unstable due to oxygen depletion, water seepage, and metal debris from a collapsed Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). Dewatering and desilting operations are ongoing.
The government, after consulting global tunnel experts, has deployed 525 personnel for the mission, ensuring there are no financial constraints. A total of Rs 4 crore has been allocated for robotic systems, the Minister confirmed.
Uttam Kumar Reddy commended the tireless efforts of the rescue teams and assured full support to the families of the trapped workers. He pledged to return within two to three days to review progress, emphasizing that the rescue operation will continue until every worker is retrieved.
With IANS inputs