Nagarkurnool: The rescue operation to locate the eight missing personnel trapped deep inside the partially collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel has intensified. On Thursday (27 February 2025), the South Central Railway (SCR) team deployed advanced cutting equipment, while the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) also joined the efforts.

For the past few days, the presence of steel and iron debris has hindered rescue efforts. A day after a joint team from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the Indian Army inspected the collapsed section to assess the situation firsthand, cutting-edge machinery was brought in to aid the mission.

A team from SCR’s Divisional Mechanical Engineering wing arrived at the site with an ‘Ultra Thermos Cutter’, a tool designed to cut through metal exceeding 8mm in thickness. “This cutter is highly suitable for our rescue operation inside the tunnel. The SCR personnel have already taken it inside,” an official overseeing the operation told The Hindu. Given the extensive debris of twisted steel and iron, the rescue teams have requested another such cutter, which they hope to acquire by the evening.

Initially, plasma cutters were considered based on BRO experts’ suggestions. However, the plan was abandoned due to their excessive weight, which made transportation into the tunnel challenging.

As the operation gained momentum, an NGRI team entered the tunnel equipped with a Ground Probing Radar (GPR) unit with a 200 MHz frequency, capable of scanning depths of up to 10 metres. Another GPR unit is conducting tests from the top of the hill.

Meanwhile, dewatering efforts are nearing completion, with multiple teams using loco dumpers to remove the accumulated slush. Eleven specialised teams from various organisations, including the project's executive company, have been engaged in the rescue mission for six days. Despite their relentless efforts, the missing personnel remain unlocated.

Rescuers finally reached the deepest accessible point inside the tunnel last evening, only to encounter a vast mass of steel, iron, oil, and slush completely obstructing the site.

A BRO team, including tunnel expert Colonel Parikshit Mehra, former Additional Director General K. P. Purshothaman, and former Director General Lieutenant General Harpal Singh, along with officials from the Indian Army, NDRF, and the executing agency, visited the site and issued recommendations to expedite the operation. “Following these recommendations, teams are now simultaneously searching for the missing personnel and clearing the debris,” the official added.

Efforts continue at full scale to break through the wreckage and locate those trapped inside.