Madhya Pradesh: 7 rescued, 2 still trapped after under-construction tunnel caves in

Seven labourers have been rescued, while two others are still trapped after an under-construction tunnel of the Bargi canal project caved in at Sleemanabad in Madhya Pradesh's Katni district on Saturday. As informed by a senior official, rescue operations are currently underway for rescuing the remaining two labourers.

Rescue operations underway after an under-construction tunnel caved in Madhya Pradesh

Concerning the same, a team of the State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF) from Jabalpur has been deployed for the same, said Katni collector Priyank M.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary Rajesh Rajora, who is continuously monitoring the rescue operation from the state secretariat in Bhopal, has been updating about the ongoing rescue operations. He further asserted that the team of the State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF) and other personnel are making all efforts to rescue the other two trapped workers.

Apart from that, he also informed about speaking with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and said that the Chief Minister has directed officials to make arrangements for providing proper treatment to the injured labourers. 

Tweeting about the same, the Chief Minister also expressed grief over the situation and informed about being in constant touch with the officials regarding the situation.

While speaking to PTI, Rajora added that the laborers are alive and the SDERF team with all the necessary equipment has been trying to reach the trapped ones by digging a shaft. In the meantime, the district collector and the SP are also camping at the site for supervising the rescue operations. They have also spoken to CM Chouhan regarding the same and apprised him of the situation.

Meanwhile, the trapped labourers are responding to calls from the rescue personnel, informed Sleemanabad Sub-Divisional Magistrate Sangh Mitra Gautam. 

Under-construction railway under-bridge collapses in Madhya Pradesh

The incident on Saturday came shortly after two Railway employees were killed, while three labourers were injured when soil from an under-construction railway under bridge collapsed on them in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district on Friday. The incident occurred near Sumreri railway station between Sagar and Bine stations late at night following which teams of police and railway were rushed to the spot. 

(With agency inputs, Image: ANI)