India tunnel collapse sparks race to find 8 trapped workers, but chances of survival deemed

New Delhi — Rescuers in India were still racing Wednesday to save eight workers four days after they were trapped underground by a collapse in a tunnel under construction in the southern state of Telangana. Rescuers crews had not managed to established contact with the trapped men for more than 100 hours, and the efforts to reach the men have come up against a series of challenges.

A portion of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel collapsed Saturday morning, causing water and mud to rush into the huge tunnel, which has a diameter of about 33 feet. Officials have said that about 50 workers were inside the tunnel when part of its ceiling caved in. Forty-three of them managed to escape, but eight were left trapped.

There has been no confirmation on the condition of the trapped men as no contact has been made with them by rescuers. Personnel with several agencies, including the Indian Army and the National Disaster Response Force, have been involved in the rescue efforts.

They have faced repeated setbacks due to loose soil and mud inside the tunnel.

Work on the 27-mile-long tunnel, which would be one of the world’s longest irrigation tunnels if it is completed, has been delayed several times since construction began in 2005.

On Tuesday, the rescuers worked to clear a train track inside the tunnel so it can be used to transport equipment to pump water out from around the site of the collapse. A path was also being cleared to take earthmoving machines into the tunnel.

“As of now we are dewatering and going forward. But for the last 40 or 50 meters (yards) we are not able to go,” B Santhosh, administrative head of the Nagarkurnool district, where the tunnel is being constructed, told India’s PTI news agency.

A team of “rat miners” who successfully rescued 41 workers who were trapped in a Himalayan highway tunnel for 17 days in 2023 joined the rescue operations Monday.

About 20 miles of the new tunnel has been excavated so far, without about seven miles left to go, officials said Tuesday.

On Monday, a state minister overseeing the rescue work told journalists near the site that the chances of the eight men being found alive were slim.

“To be honest, the chances of their survival are very, very, very, very remote,” Jupally Krishna Rao, a senior official in the Telangana state administration, said Tuesday. “I went up to the end, almost just 50 meters short [of the collapse site]… When we shouted their names, there was no response.”

“I can’t predict the chances of survival, but the chances are not very good,” Rao said, adding that “even if there is the slightest chance, we will try to save them.”