Efforts are ongoing to rescue eight workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district. The disaster struck on February 22 at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project site, leaving the workers stranded under debris.

Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao provided a grim update on Monday, stating that the chances of survival were “very remote” due to the extensive accumulation of muck and rubble at the site. He estimated that the rescue operation could take at least three to four more days, given the difficult conditions.

To assist with the challenging operation, a team of expert rat miners—who had successfully rescued workers from Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel collapse in 2023—has been brought in.

“Frankly, their survival chances are extremely low,” Rao admitted. “I personally went up to about 50 meters from the accident site. The tunnel’s 9-meter diameter is almost entirely blocked, with mud reaching up to 25 feet.”

Rescuers attempted to call out to the trapped individuals, but there was no response, further diminishing hopes of their survival.

The trapped workers have been identified as Manoj Kumar and Sri Niwas from Uttar Pradesh, Sunny Singh from Jammu and Kashmir, Gurpreet Singh from Punjab, and four workers from Jharkhand—Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahu. Among them, two are engineers, two are machine operators, and four are laborers.

Authorities continue to work tirelessly to reach the workers, though the situation remains dire.