KOCHI: Specially-trained cadaver dogs of the Kerala Police — Maya and Murphy — arrived in Telangana to assist in the tunnel collapse search operations on Thursday. The team will join the search operations on Friday.
The team, including handlers Prabhath, George Manuel, Maneesh K M and Vineeth, boarded an Air Force cargo flight from Nedumbassery airport and reached Hyderabad by 3 am. From the airport they were taken to Srisailam in a helicopter. The handlers visited the spot and entered the tunnel to examine the site on Thursday afternoon.
They boarded a metre gauge loco train to reach the tunnel, which is 9.5 m wide but it has been filled with debris which makes the mission tough. The authorities say it is risky to remove the debris as there may be further mudslides.
The tunnel collapse at Srisailam Left Bank Canal project occurred on February 22 and efforts have been on to rescue the eight persons, including engineers and labourers, who got trapped under 400 m debris.
Maya and Murphy belong to the Belgian Malinois breed and have been specially trained to detect decomposing bodies. The dogs are five years old and had displayed their skill by identifying around 25 bodies during the first two days of Wayanad landslide which occurred on July 30.
Maya had assisted search operations during the Pettimudi landslide in 2020 and had identified bodies trapped at a depth of 1.5 m.