SLBC tunnel collapse Rescue team retrieves body from debris
Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakhs for the family of Gurpreet Singh, one of the eight workers whose body was recovered from under the debris at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) collapse site on Sunday, March 9.
The CM and irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed condolences over the death of the worker engaged in the SLBC tunnel works. The rescue teams at the SLBC collapse site identified the human remains of Gurpreet Singh who is a native of from Punjab.
Gurpreet Singh was working as a tunnel boring machine operator in the American company Robbins, said a press release from Revanth Reddy’s office. The mortal remains of Gurpreet Singh has been sent to the hometown in Punjab.
His body was found after a 16-day rescue operation, wherein teams retrieved the body before the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) in the SLBC tunnel collapse site. Earlier, the Telangana government decided to deploy robots for the rescue operation from March 11 to ensure the safety of rescue personnel, as the challenging conditions inside the collapsed SLBC tunnel, including water and slush, pose significant risks.
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has submitted an initial report in which, among other things, it has cautioned that rescue operations should be carried out with extreme caution and care in the last 70 metres (at the accident site).Rescuers first discovered a right hand near the TBM, confirming the body was buried under debris. Efforts are underway to establish the identity of the body.
According to reports, rescue teams suspect that the bodies of three other missing individuals may be buried under debris within a one-to-four-foot radius of the first body’s location. Cadaver dogs from Kerala were deployed in the D2 area of the tunnel to aid in the search.
On February 22, a portion of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Nagarkurnool collapsed, locking eight workers, including two engineers, inside the debris and slush. Eight persons–engineers and labourers have been trapped under the collapsed roof of the SLBC tunnel since then. 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 Sahu, all from Jharkhand.
Last week, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy and Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed hope that the damaged conveyor belt would be repaired soon.
This post was last modified on March 9, 2025 11:48 pm