SLBC Rescue – Removing 40-Tonne Locomotive Next Goal in Search for Bodies
40-tonne locomotive under eight feet of silt becomes focus as officials detect possible signs of more bodies.
Hyderabad: A 40-tonne locomotive, buried under several metres of silt, has become the next target for rescuers as they continue to clear the debris in the SLBC tunnel in their search for the six workers missing since the February 22 accident.
In the 34 days since the tunnel collapse, the bodies of two workers have been found, that of Gurpreet Singh on March 9 and that of Manoj Kumar on March 25.
Officials said rescuers clearing up the silt on Wednesday reported the smell of a human body at the location. “Manoj Kumar’s body was found next to the locomotive. Maybe it is a false alarm but the smell might mean more of the missing workers may be buried in the same area,” an official said.
The plan is to fully clear the engine that was buried under more than eight feet of silt, see if it can be pushed back onto the tracks and taken outside, and then carefully remove the silt to search for the bodies, the official said.
The tunnel boring machine (TBM) used in the SLBC tunnel, travels on rail tracks as it is a very heavy and large structure. The same tracks are used to run small trains to carry men and materials into the tunnel as the TBM moves forward as it excavates.
