Srisailam accident: All nine trapped inside the power station dead

Hyderabad: All nine trapped inside the 900 MW Srisailam Left Bank Power Station were killed, the power department confirmed. A fire broke out in the electric panel inside the 900 MW powerhouse on Thursday night.

Of the nine, three assistant engineers were recognized as Sundar Naik, Mohan Kumar, and Uzma Fathima. While Sundar Naik was a resident of Suryapet, Mohan Kumar and Uzma Fathima hail from Hyderabad.

Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed anguish over the loss of lives in the Srisailam power station fire. Describing it as unfortunate, KCR said all the efforts were made to rescue the trapped engineers and bring them out alive, but in vain. He expressed his deep condolences to the bereaved families.

KCR also ordered a comprehensive enquiry by Crime Investigation Department (CID) into the cause of the accident. Govind Singh, CID’s additional director of police, has been appointed as the inquiry officer. Singh has been asked to submit a report at the earliest.

There were in all 30 employees inside the powerhouse when the accident took place. While six employees were rescued and brought out of the tunnel, 15 others managed to come out through the emergency exit route of the project. 

State power minister G Jagadeeshwar Reddy rushed to the spot along with TSGENCO Chairman and Managing Director D. Prabhakar Rao and other senior officials. He said that the fire erupted in the electric panel around 10:30 pm, possibly due to a short circuit and it spread to other parts. 

However, nine others were trapped inside as thick smoke engulfed inside the tunnel, making it difficult for the rescue teams to reach the place, the minister said. As the power supply was stopped, it was completely dark inside, making it difficult for the trapped staff to come out. This is the first of its kind fire accident in an under-tunnel power unit.