Another body has been found in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal Tunnel (SLBC Tunnel) rescue operations. It is reported that a body was found near the loco track during excavation. The staff noticed a foul smell and the excavation is underway in that area. The body was found while excavation was being carried out in a place other than the suspected areas D1 and D2.
However, the authorities have not yet confirmed this. In this context, the authorities went inside the tunnel. If the remains are a body, there is a possibility that it will be brought out in the evening. It is known that 8 workers went missing in the SLBC tunnel collapse incident.
Although a month has passed since the incident, only one body has been found so far. While excavation was carried out with the help of cadaver dogs from Kerala, the body of TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) operator Gurpreet Singh was found. Rescue operations are ongoing for the remaining seven.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy held a review on the rescue operation in the SLBC tunnel on Monday. On this occasion, it is learnt that the rescue officials have decided that the search in the tunnel cannot be continued.
They have brought to the notice of CM Revanth that the roof of the tunnel in the area where the accident occurred is weak, there is a possibility of it collapsing, and if they continue stubbornly, there is a risk of the rescue workers getting into another accident.
However, the Chief Minister has ordered that the search should continue until the whereabouts of the seven missing persons are found. He advised Chief Secretary Shantha Kumari to appoint IAS officer Shiv Shankar Loteti as a special officer to continuously monitor them.
Meanwhile, the government has decided in principle to follow the drilling and blasting method in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel from now on. It was decided to implement this policy in the ongoing tunnel excavation as well as in the relief efforts currently underway at the tunnel accident site.