Scientists Find ‘Soft Material’ Inside Collapsed Telangana Tunnel, Rescue Operation Still On

Hyderabad: On the 8^th day of the ongoing rescue operation by multiple agencies at the Telangana tunnel site, ground probing radar (GPR) study taken up by the representatives of the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) traced some soft material under the debris in the last 10-15 metres of the tunnel, according to the reports. Though it is still unclear what this ‘soft material’ is, rescue teams are now scouting the areas zeroed in on by the NGRI’s ground probing radar, the Hindu reported.

The study has also found an anomaly on the surface inside the collapsed SLBC tunnel in Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana on Saturday (March 1, 2025).

Four trapped persons will be rescued by tomorrow?

According to reports, arrangements are being made at the tunnel site. For instance, ambulances (at nearby Domalapenta village) are being lined up. A team of forensic experts (doctors) from Hyderabad has also reportedly been asked to reach the tunnel site at the earliest. Amid such arrangements being made, speculations are rife that the chances of rescue teams tracing the 8 trapped persons by evening is high. However, there have been no official confirmation yet.

“The efforts are underway… We are confident that by tomorrow, we will be able to rescue four people who have been identified…,” Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao told ANI.

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Over 500 rescuers are working on a war footing to locate the eight workers trapped inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool. The tunnel had partially collapsed on February 22. Teams from the Army, Navy, Singareni Collieries, and other agencies are carrying out the rescue operations for several days. Though no breakthrough has been achieved, the rescue teams are presently cutting through a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) to create a passage. Their aim is to reach the stranded workers.

Some key updates on the matter:

• Army medical teams have been deployed at the tunnel site with medical supplies. Water and slush are hampering the efforts.
• Congress MLA Chikkudu Vamshi noted that 12 departments were coordinating to speed up the process, with experienced personnel from Singareni mines playing a key role.
• Nagarkurnool superintendent of police Vaibhav Gaikwad said teams from NDRF, the Army, Singareni Collieries, and other agencies are continuously working on the rescue.
• “The rescue operation is going on… (Saturday) morning a team went inside (the tunnel)… The process of dewatering, removing debris is also going on simultaneously,” SP Gaikwad told PTI. He added that TBM parts are being cut to clear the path ahead.
• An official mentioned that the damaged section of the conveyor belt inside the tunnel was expected to be repaired on Saturday.
• The trapped workers 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).
• Among them, two are engineers, two are operators, and the remaining four are labourers from Jharkhand.