While rescuers have managed to cover a large part of the tunnel Tuesday — 13.79 km of the 13.85 km — the last part has been challenging because of a mix of water and slush at the collapse site.

Addressing a press conference, Telangana minister said it has been decided that the rescuers will go into the silt in the tunnel in search of the trapped men and acknowledged that the rescue operation slowed down on Tuesday keeping in view the safety of the lives of the rescuers.

On February 22, a portion of the SLBC tunnel collapsed, trapping eight workers involved in the project. Efforts have been ongoing to rescue them since the incident occurred. Meanwhile, former minister and BRS legislator T Harish Rao is expected to visit the SLBC project site today along with his party leaders to assess the situation.