CHENNAI: It has been more than 50 hours since two men fell into a 40 feet deep trench on Five furlong road in Velachery, but there has been no specialised equipments to rescue the trapped men, say family members.

“If it had been a prominent person or a top officer in the government or a politician, we all know that no efforts will be spared,” said Jayaseelan, brother in law of one of the trapped persons.

While local police and civic body workers have been trying their level best, the motor pumps used are not powerful enough to suck out the water.

Authorities have lost all hope on the two trapped men being alive. One of them- Jayaseelan (25) is suspected to be inside a container (a makeshift office) placed inside the trench - an under construction site on Five Furlong road, Velachery.

The other man is Naresh, who works at the CNG gas station near 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.

Chennai City Traffic Police personnel who were on Cyclone rescue duty nearby were the first responders and they managed to save three persons who were standing in the bus shelter and fell into the pit.

Jayaseelan got married less than a year ago. His wife Manjula is pregnant and was inconsolable holding a photograph of her husband. Naresh worked in the gas station and he fell on the container when the floor of the gas station caved in, eyewitnesses said.