Cadaver dogs from Kerala Police join rescue ops at Telangana SLBC tunnel

Two cadaver dogs from the Kerala Police, along with their handlers, have been deployed to assist in the ongoing rescue operations at the site of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapse in Telangana.

The cadaver dogs, which can sniff scents of human bodies under surfaces (like debris), were earlier involved in the rescue operation in Wayanad, Kerala, during the landslide in July last year. They will enter the SLBC tunnel today.

The officials of the cadaver dog squad held a meeting with Nagarkurnool district Collector Badavath Santosh and officials of the Disaster Management Authority. They made an initial assessment of the situation inside the tunnel on Thursday.

As attempts to find survivors and retrieve victims trapped in the rubble escalate, the Kerala Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that the State Disaster Management Authority received a request from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). On Monday, NDRF Commandant VVN Prasanna Kumar stated that the effort to rescue eight workers who were trapped after the SLBC tunnel collapsed was in progress and operating at maximum capacity.

Approximately 300 personnel, including 100 NDRF members, along with SDRF, Indian Army, and Singareni teams, are actively involved in the rescue efforts. "The main hurdle for us is the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine), which is a 1,500-ton machine that got damaged inside the tunnel, causing a major problem for us, a NDRF Commandant was quoted by The Hindu.

Recently, the Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy visited the SLBC tunnel site to assess the ongoing rescue operation. The rescue operation to save eight workers trapped inside the tunnel in Nagarkurnool entered its 14th day on Friday, as teams continue efforts to reach those stranded since the tunnel collapse on February 22.