In the Indian Himalayas, 41 construction workers were trapped in a 4.5km tunnel after it collapsed on November 12. Low-wage workers from India’s poorest states, they had been stuck for more than two weeks, receiving food, water, light, oxygen, and medicine through a pipe. Initial efforts to dig a tunnel to rescue them were unsuccessful.
When high-powered machines proved ineffective, rescuers brought in “rat miners” from central India to drill through a narrow pipe and reach the trapped men. Described as “skilled workers,” the “rat miners” will perform drilling by hand, a primitive and hazardous method used in India to remove coal deposits through narrow passages.
Efforts to drill a tunnel horizontally had been met with setbacks, including damage to machinery. Another route was opened to the trapped men by drilling a shaft straight down from the mountain above, but the focus remained on the horizontal route. Bad weather, including thunderstorms and low temperatures, was forecasted, potentially complicating the rescue.
Despite the challenges, government and private agencies involved in the rescue remained determined to bring all 41 men out as early as possible. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s principal secretary visited the site and assured the trapped men that everyone was working tirelessly to rescue them. The tunnel is part of the Char Dham highway, connecting four Hindu pilgrimage sites through 890km of roads. The cause of the cave-in that trapped the men has not been determined, although the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes, and floods.