Spark race for India’s tunnel collapse found 8 trapped workers, but the chances of survival are considered “very far away”

New Delhi – Rescuers in India were still playing on Wednesday, saving eight workers four days after they collapsed in a tunnel under construction in southern Telangana. Rescuers have not yet managed to connect with trapped men for more than 100 hours, and efforts to reach these people have faced a series of challenges.

A part of the left bank canal tunnel in Srisailam collapsed Saturday morning, causing water and mud to rush into the massive tunnel, which is about 33 feet in diameter. Officials said about 50 workers were inside the tunnel when part of its ceiling was in trouble. 43 of them managed to escape, but eight were trapped.

As rescuers did not contact them, there was no confirmation of the trapped man’s condition. Personnel from multiple agencies, including the Indian Army and the National Disaster Response Force, participated in the rescue efforts.

They suffered repeated setbacks as the soil and mud inside the tunnel were loose.

Working on a 27-mile long tunnel since construction began in 2005, it will be one of the longest irrigation tunnels in the world.

Rescuers on Tuesday worked to clean up train tracks in the tunnel to use them for transportation equipment to pump water from the collapse site. A path was also cleaned up to bring the dirt machine into the tunnel.

“So far, we are dehydrating and moving forward. But in the past 40 or 50 meters (codes), we can’t go.” B Santhosh, executive director of Nagarkurnool District, told PTI in India, news agency.

A team “Rat miner” who successfully rescued 41 workers In 2023, he was trapped in a Himalaya Expressway tunnel for 17 days participated in the rescue operation.

Officials said Tuesday that about 20 miles of new tunnels have been dug so far, with about seven miles of road left.

A country minister in charge of rescue operations told reporters near the site on Monday that the chances of finding eight people alive were slim.

“Honestly, their chances of survival are very, very, very far away,” Jupally Krishna Rao, a senior official of the Telangana national government, said on Tuesday. “I went to the end and was almost only 50 meters.” [of the collapse site]…When we shouted their names, there was no response. ”

Rao said: “I can’t predict the chances of survival, but the chances are not very good.”