13 March, 2025 | 12:22 AM
Tunnel collapse: Robots assist search operation
12-03-2025 12:00:00 AM
metro india news I hyderabad
The Telangana government on Tuesday deployed a robot to assist the ongoing rescue operations for tracing the remaining seven persons trapped under the debris in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Nagarkurnool district, which partially collapsed on February 22.
The team of a Hyderabad-based robotics company along with a robot went inside the tunnel Tuesday morning. Along with that 110 rescue personnel also went into the tunnel. The Telangana government has decided to deploy robots to avoid any danger to the rescue personnel as the conditions inside the tunnel, including water and slush, posed a challenge.
State irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on March 8 said the government would spend Rs 4 crores to undertake the operation by utilizing the services of robot experts (of the Hyderabad-based private company). Fragments of the huge Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) submerged under water, soil and stones inside the tunnel caused a hazard to the rescue team, he had said.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who visited the SLBC tunnel on March 2, suggested to the officials leading the operation to use robots inside the tunnel if necessary, to avoid any danger to the rescue personnel. The search operations have been continuing with teams from NDRF, state-run miner Singareni Collieries, rat miners and others working at specific spots indicated by cadaver dogs and radar survey to locate the seven persons.
Rescue personnel guided by the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys conducted by the scientists of National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) in Hyderabad are focusing efforts at suspected locations. The search was further aided by Human Remains Detection Dogs (HRDD) of Kerala police.
