Authorities in the southern Indian state of Telangana are racing against time to save eight construction workers trapped inside a tunnel for more than 72 hours.
Around 50 workers had been working inside the 43km (26.7-mile)-long tunnel, located in Nagarkurnool district, when a part of its roof caved in early Saturday morning.
Officials say 43 of them managed to come out safely but efforts to reach the remaining eight men have faced repeated setbacks due to loose soil, mud and slush inside the tunnel.
They have also been unable to establish contact with the trapped men, or provide them with oxygen and other essential supplies.
Jupally Krishna Rao, a state minister overseeing the rescue effort, told PTI news agency that “the chances of their survival are very remote.”
On Monday an expert team of “rat-hole miners” – people trained in narrow tunnel navigation – arrived to clear the debris and get to the workers. The same team had sucessfully rescued 41 construction workers trapped in a tunnel after a landslide in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in 2023.
Approximately 33km of excavation has been completed so far and roughly 10km remain, officials said on Tuesday.
Rescuers are using a train to get to a point from where they need to climb on to a conveyor belt to remove the debris. Reports say they are also continuously pumping out water to ensure oxygen supply within the tunnel. But the rough terrain of the region has slowed them down.
As rescue efforts continue, families of the trapped workers – most of whom are daily wage workers – are anxiously waiting for news of their loved ones.
“I just hope that this time my son comes back safe. I will never send him away to earn again,” said Rampratap Sahu, a resident of Jharkhand state.
Others expressed anger at authorities for letting their family members “come in harm’s way”.
“Why did they send the men to work there when they knew of the risks involved in the project?” asked Jaspreet Kaur, whose brother is among those trapped.
A portion of the under-construction Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) collapsed around 13km from its opening at 8:30 local time (03:00 GMT) on Saturday.
The accident took place after a slab of concrete covering seepage on the roof slipped and fell off. At least a dozen workers were injured in the chaos.
The tunnel is part of the longest-running irrigation project of the Telangana government. Located in a hilly forested area, it passes through the Nagarjuna Sagar-Srisailam tiger reserve which is the largest in India.
Officials said construction work had resumed just four days before the accident, after a gap of almost three years.
Various relief teams, including personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, firefighters and soldiers from the Indian army, are at the spot.
Officials told BBC Telugu that a team of firefighters was the first to go inside on Sunday.
“We covered 11km by train, 2km by conveyor belt and the remaining distance on foot,” an official, who wanted to stay anonymous, said. “But then we hit a roadblock.”
“There were tall mounds of mud and soft soil. The boring machine that was being used by the workers lay upside down, blocking all passage beyond.”
The rescuers said they were forced to return from that point as they did not have the necessary tools and machines to clear the slush.
“We shouted and screamed, whistled and pointed torches, hoping for a response but didn’t hear anything.”
Relatives of some of the trapped men are now desperately hoping for a miracle.
“When I left home, my wife held me, wept and said, do not come back empty handed. Bring back my son,” said Rampratap Sahu, father of one of the workers.
“But what can I do? I can only sit here and pray to god to return my son to me. I want nothing else.”
