NDRF officials were clear on Sunday that unless this huge volume of mud was removed, access to the debris including twisted metal and broken concrete slabs, will not be possible
Domalapenta: Hopes of finding survivors in the SLBC tunnel collapse incident began ebbing on Sunday with all those involved in the operations to rescue the eight trapped workers, 14 km inside, agreeing on how challenging the conditions at the mouth of the tunnel boring machine (TBM), where the incident occurred.
Only the tail end of the TBM is visible, and the rest of it hidden behind a wall of soil and rock that collapsed on it. The missing workers were believed at the head of the 200-metre-long machine.
Making the challenge to reach the TBM much harder is a nearly 200-metre-long section of the tunnel that is buried to half its height in slick and slimy mud.
NDRF officials were clear on Sunday that unless this huge volume of mud was removed, access to the debris including twisted metal and broken concrete slabs, will not be possible.
Unless this debris is cleaned up, no machinery can reach the spot that is hidden behind it.
This has not deterred personnel from the NDRF, SDRF, and Army, from mounting their own repeated assaults, beginning with two probing patrols, followed by a team equipped with gas cutters beginning work on breaking up the large metal tubes and other material closer to the TBM.
Joining one such expedition on Sunday afternoon was tourism minister Jupally Krishna Rao who went into the tunnel accompanying senior irrigation department officials, and a rescue team. Krishna Rao’s trip turned into a six-hour exercise. The minister had earlier insisted on visiting the site.
From inside the tunnel, using a specialised wifi network used by those working inside, Krishna Rao called irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy to show him the conditions at the farthest reaches of the tunnel where it collapsed. During the call, Krishna Rao expressed dismay at the tough conditions being encountered before anyone can even try to reach the trapped workers.
“The TBM is at 13.9 km and I went up to 13.8 km. The last 100 metres are turning out to be hardest to negotiate. You put your foot and it sinks. Some materials are being brought to help people negotiate this stretch,” Krishna Rao told reporters after he came out of the tunnel in the evening.
“Only after this hurdle is crossed will we have a better idea. The lives of those trapped may be at risk, but we cannot be certain and we are working hard to reach them.”
He said he saw just how strong an event occurred inside the tunnel. “The TBM, weighing hundreds of tonnes, was pushed back some 200 metres when the flood of water, soil and rock fell. Such was the pressure generated due to the sudden flood. All those on the higher levels of the TBM managed to get out quickly after noticing the rise in the seepage but those at the lower levels of the machine could not get out. Even among those who got out, some had to desperately swim to safety,” Krishna Rao said.
Despite the really tough and hard conditions, he said efforts will only be redoubled to try and rescue the trapped workers safely.
