6 bodies recovered, 3 still trapped;
Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao orders CBI probe into fire incident
AGENCIES / HYDERBAD
At least nine engineering staff members were feared trapped inside the hydro-electric plant of Srisailam Project after a fire broke out at its under tunnel power house. 6 bodies have been recovered, 3 still reported to be trapped in the tunnel.
The hydro-electric power house is on the left bank of Srisailam Project on the Telangana side. Ten persons, who were working in the unit when fire broke out, could manage to escape while nine more are feared to have been trapped inside the tunnel.
Rescue operations are in full swing with National Disaster Response Force teams along with the fire personnel trying to evacuate the trapped people. Teams from Singareni with experience in handling underground units are also present at the accident site.
Smoke gripped the tunnel, posing obstacles to rescue operations. A Divisional Engineer and four Assistant Engineers are among the trapped.
Telangana Transco Chairman and Managing Director Prabhakar Rao said, the authorities have isolated the unit in which fire broke out and tripped all remaining units to avoid further damage. As per the initial reports, the short circuit in the underground hydro-electric power has led to the fire.
Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao expressed shock over the incident. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy who is scheduled to visit Srisailam has cancelled the visit after the incident. State Energy Minister Jagadish Reddy has reached the accident site and is presently overseeing the rescue efforts.
This is the first such incident of this magnitude occurred in the advanced equipped hydro-electric power station. Currently, the main focus is on evacuating the trapped people inside the hydro-electric powerhouse.
The NDRF teams along with the firemen and experts in underground rescue operations from Singareni Coal Collieries are making all out efforts to approach the trapped personnel.
Hydro-electric power station officials informed that the assessment of the extent of the damage and reasons will be enquired once the smoke is cleared. All vehicular traffic to Srisailam and public movement close to the project also stopped.