NEW DELHI — A team of “rat miners,” specialists in extracting people from narrow underground spaces, has been deployed to the southern Indian state of Telangana to assist in rescuing eight workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel, officials said Monday.
The miners, known for their expertise in navigating confined spaces, were previously instrumental in rescuing 41 workers from a collapsed tunnel in the Himalayas in 2023.
The trapped workers were inside a tunnel at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project when a section collapsed on Saturday. Some managed to escape, but eight remain trapped, according to local news agency ANI.
“The biggest problem here is the water seepage,” said Mohammad Irshad Ansari, one of the rat miners involved in the rescue. Officials said dewatering operations were underway to remove accumulated water from the site.
Race against time
Authorities have intensified efforts to free the workers. Nagarkurnool District Collector Badhavath Santhosh said additional pumps had been deployed to accelerate the removal of water from the tunnel.
“Yesterday, a team went inside and suggested increasing dewatering efforts, so we have added additional pumps,” he said. “Now, a General Officer Commanding from the army has also arrived to assist.”
A dangerous but essential method
“Rat-hole” mining, the technique used by these miners, was once widespread in the northeastern state of Meghalaya before being banned by India’s Supreme Court in 2014 due to environmental damage and frequent fatalities. The method, named for its resemblance to rats burrowing into the ground, involves miners squeezing through small tunnels just large enough for a person to crawl inside.
For the families of the trapped workers, the wait has been agonizing.
“My son has been missing since Saturday,” said Ram Singh, whose son, Sunny, is among those trapped.
Rescue efforts are ongoing as officials and emergency teams race against time to reach the workers.
