Silkyara tunnel rescue operations enter 16th day, hopes pinned on rat miners
Despite multiple setbacks, officials were hopeful of a breakthrough in their operation to rescue the 41 workers trapped in Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, as manual horizontal drilling commenced on Monday. Madras Sappers, an engineering group of the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army, are overseeing the digging operation which employs “rat mining” technique to remove debris. Civilians experienced in rat-hole mining are assisting the Sappers in the process.