CHENNAI: It has been more than 72 hours as of 10:30 am on Thursday as families of two men, trapped in the 60 feet trench dug up for an under-construction site in Velachery await answers.

Officials on the ground told DT Next that the rescue operations is in the final stages, and they have pumped out most of the water have been drained out.

Since Wednesday, a team of engineers from L&T have aided in the rescue by contributing with high-power electrical submersible pumps to pump out and discharge the water.

“More than 50 feet of water have been drained out. There seem to be about three feet of water above the container in which one of them, Jayaseelan is trapped. The challenge is the slush. After the water is cleared, our personnel will try to get in,” said an official with Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS).

The victims are R Jayaseelan, 32, an assistant electrical engineer with Green Tech, and Naresh, 21, a staff at a CNG fuel station adjacent to the trench. The land around the trench caved in, bringing down a bus shelter and a portion of the floor of a CNG fuel outlet adjoining the trench.

While Jayaseelan was in the makeshift office, a container inside the trench, Naresh who fell into the pit too after the cave-in too went near the container hoping help would arrive, according to the family members.

A senior police officer with Chennai Police said that they have registered a FIR on a man missing complaint for now and sections will be altered later based on the family’s complaint.