Ranchi/Gumla: Family members of the four Gumla workers, who were trapped after a section of an under-construction tunnel collapsed at the

Srisailam Left Bank Canal

(SLBC) project in Telangana's Nagar Kurnool district on Saturday, are desperately awaiting news of their safety.
On Sunday, Gumla district officials visited the family members and assured them of all possible help even as chief minister Hemant Soren instructed the state migration control room to contact the Telangana govt and ensure necessary cooperation for the safe rescue of the trapped workers. After visiting the families, the district officials informed that they were closely monitoring the search and rescue, and appealed to them to stay calm.
The trapped workers have been identified as Santosh Sahu from Tirra village (sadar block), Anuj Sahu from Khambhia-Kumbatolo (Ghaghra block), Sandeep Sahu from Umda-Naktitoli village (Palkot block) and Jagta Xess from Kobitoli (Raidih block) of Gumla district.
An official communiqué issued by the chief minister's office (CMO) said workers from Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Gumla are trapped in the tunnel.

"An NDRF team is currently conducting rescue operations. The control room contacted the assistant labour officer of Nagar Kurnool, who confirmed that while the NDRF team has entered the tunnel, they haven't established contact with the workers yet," the CMO informed.
In the morning, Gumla SDPO Suresh Kumar Yadav visited Santosh Sahu's family in Tirra. He said, "We are in contact with Telangana administration. Sahu has been working there for three years and recently visited home for his niece's wedding."
Ghaghra police station OC, who met Anuj Sahu's parents, said they were informed about the incident by Sonu Sahu, a fellow migrant worker. Anuj started working at the site in November 2023.
"Our father went to Telangana to earn for us because we are poor," said Santosh Sahu's daughters, Radhika and Reema, who learned about the incident on Saturday evening.
Gumla DC Karn Satyarthi said the state labour superintendent, Punit Minj, has visited the homes of all four families. "We are coordinating with the Nagar Kurnool administration and expect concrete updates by tomorrow (Monday)," he said.
Local MP Sukhdeo Bhagat of Congress assured that he would communicate with the Telangana authorities to discuss the condition of the trapped workers. "We hope our people come out safely," he added.