Nagarkurnool: Efforts to rescue eight workers trapped in the SLBC tunnel for the past six days continued on Friday, with over 500 personnel working tirelessly. Despite extensive operations, no breakthrough has been achieved so far.

There were reports suggesting that the National Geophysical Research Institute's (NGRI) ground-penetrating radar (GPR) had detected images of human bodies within the tunnel debris.

However, Nagarkurnool District Collector B Santhosh dismissed these claims as false.

"Some fake news is being circulated that bodies have been found. This is not true. If there are any updates, they will be communicated officially," he stated.

Officials said rat miners are attempting to penetrate the debris to verify any possible findings.

Meanwhile, the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) announced that, following government directives, it had deployed 200 personnel to aid the rescue operations.

The South Central Railway (SCR) has also mobilized teams equipped with plasma cutters, Broco cut-ting machines, and other specialised equipment, SCR Chief Public Rela-tions Officer A Sridhar confirmed.

The large-scale rescue effort involves skilled personnel from the Army, Navy, SCCL, and disaster response teams from both Central and state agencies.

Nagarkurnool Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Gaikwad stat-ed that debris clearance and metal cutting efforts are

ongoing. "One team entered the tunnel at 7 AM, and the debris removal has been con-tinuous since Thursday morning. Dewatering operations are also in pro-gress." Rescue teams remain hopeful as they continue their relentless ef-forts to reach the trapped workers, he added.