HYDERABAD: Maya and Murphy, Belgian Malinois dogs, specially trained in searching for humans buried in debris and designated as human remains detection (HRD) dogs, joined the rescue efforts to locate the missing eight workers since the February 22 collapse in the tunnel.The two dogs, holding the rank of inspector of police, were flown in two separate Indian Air Force helicopters to the SLBC tunnel inlet site in Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district on Thursday.Their handlers went into the tunnel to study the conditions and it is expected that Maya and Murphy will be taken into the tunnel on Friday morning.“These are specialists in locating people in tough conditions as in the tunnel. We are hopeful that their presence will help us move forward in the operation to locate the missing workers,” said Arvind Kumar, special chief secretary, disaster management said.Meanwhile, Col Kirti Pratap Singh, secretary of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), visited the tunnel site and reviewed the rescue efforts so far. He was briefed by Arvind Kumar.Thursday marked Day 13 of the rescue operations and officials hope that the two trained canines will help the rescuers dig out the missing eight workers. “Dewatering is continuing as is silt removal, and today, we are making good progress in clearing up the rear portion of the TBM. Our focus is entirely on finding the missing persons while ensuring that all rescuers stay safe,” an official said.
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