Sat Mar 01 14:31:22 UTC 2025: ## Hope Fades in Telangana Tunnel Collapse Rescue
**Hyderabad, March 1, 2025** – The rescue operation at the collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana continues, but hopes of finding the eight workers trapped since February 22nd are dwindling. Ground-penetrating radar has located the workers under debris, but the slow removal of muck and damaged tunnel boring machine (TBM) parts is hindering progress.
Authorities, including Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, are overseeing the operation. While acknowledging the low probability of survival after more than a week, Minister Krishna Rao stated that the government maintains a sliver of hope. He indicated that approximately 7-8 meters of mud still needs to be cleared from around the damaged TBM, where the workers are believed to be located.
The rescue effort is hampered by the damaged conveyor belt, slowing debris removal, and ongoing water seepage within the tunnel. Over 100 workers from Jharkhand, involved in the tunnel excavation, have left the site. Ambulances and forensic experts have been mobilized, though the operation is now focused on recovering the remains of the trapped workers. The extraction of the TBM parts is underway, with officials hoping to complete the removal by Sunday.
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