Telangana tunnel collapse: Robot with AI-based camera joins search operation

Nagarkurnool: A robot equipped with an AI-based camera joined the operation on Tuesday to locate the seven people trapped inside the partially collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel since February 22.

A team from a Hyderabad-based robotics company, along with a robot equipped with an AI-based camera, entered the tunnel on Tuesday morning. Additionally, 110 rescue personnel were deployed, an official statement said.

The Telangana government has decided to deploy robots to minimise risks to rescue personnel, as water and slush inside the tunnel pose significant challenges.

State Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced on March 8 that the government would spend Rs 4 crore to carry out the operation with the help of robotics experts from the Hyderabad-based private company.

Fragments of the massive Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), submerged under water, soil, and debris inside the tunnel, have posed a major hazard to the rescue team, he said.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who visited the tunnel on March 2, suggested that officials use robots inside the tunnel if necessary to ensure the safety of rescue personnel. As part of efforts to locate the missing individuals, rescue personnel once again deployed Human Remains Detection Dogs (HRDD) at the accident site, an official release said.

State Special Chief Secretary (Disaster Management) Arvind Kumar, who has been overseeing the search operation, held a meeting on Tuesday with officials from various agencies involved in the rescue efforts.