HYDERABAD: Shiva Shankar Lotheti, the special officer appointed by the state government for the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) rescue operations, conducted his first review near the tunnel on Wednesday and assessed the ongoing efforts.
Officials briefed him on the continuous dewatering and excavation being carried out to determine the fate of the six remaining trapped workers. The rescue teams had earlier retrieved two bodies out of the eight workers trapped inside the tunnel on February 22.
The special officer was informed that rescue operations were being expedited. Four excavators are currently being used inside the tunnel, with mud being transported out via a conveyor belt. Additionally, parts of the tunnel boring machine are being dismantled and removed as part of the operation.
The officials said that five pumping stations have been set up at intervals of 2.5 km each, with a combined capacity to pump 3,600 litres of water per minute. The pumped water is being discharged into the Krishna river to facilitate the ongoing rescue efforts.