Officials are unsure of the trapped workers’ condition, as the final 150 meters of the tunnel remain completely blocked.
A team of expert rat-hole miners, renowned for their successful rescue in last year’s Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel collapse in Uttarkashi, arrived in Domalapenta on Tuesday to aid ongoing efforts at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapse site.
Firoz Qureshi, a member of the Rat Miners team, stated that 12 miners were summoned for the operation, with six already on-site and the rest expected to arrive soon. “The district administration called us in. In Uttarakhand, we rescued 41 laborers in 26 hours. This situation is different, as it involves water and mud instead of rock. We will assess the site and proceed accordingly with the NDRF and SDRF teams,” he said.
The Rat Miners team flew into Hyderabad before traveling to the site by road.
Rat-hole mining, a technique involving coal extraction through narrow pits, was banned in 2014 for being unscientific. However, when advanced machinery failed to rescue workers trapped in an Uttarkashi tunnel for 16 days, expert manual miners were brought in. Using hand tools, they successfully reached the stranded workers and facilitated their escape.
However, Mr. Qureshi, who was part of the Uttarkashi rescue, stated, “Where machines fail, our hands get the job done.” He acknowledged the growing recognition of their work, saying, “We’re all over the news and being treated like heroes. Hopefully, this changes perceptions about our profession and earns us more respect.”
For the past decade, Mr. Qureshi has been involved in a similar trade known as jack pushing or Chuha (rat) pushing. Describing his work, he explained, “We specialize in laying underground sewer and water pipelines in places where machines cannot operate, such as railway tracks, road crossings, and narrow lanes. We rely on simple hand tools like hoes for digging and trolleys to transport excavated soil.”
Meanwhile, rescue efforts have intensified with the deployment of advanced equipment, including endoscopic and robotic cameras. “The endoscopic camera helps us monitor real-time conditions inside the tunnel,” said S. Lakshminarayana, an endoscopic operator from L&T. Additionally, the NDRF has deployed its dog squad to assist in locating the trapped workers.
Nagarkurnool District Collector B. Santhosh acknowledged the challenges posed by the debris-filled tunnel. “Dewatering is underway, and teams from the Indian Army, NDRF, SDRF, Navy, and GHMC’s DRF are engaged in the operation with additional equipment. The last 40 meters remain inaccessible, but efforts are ongoing to reach the trapped workers,” he said.
The collapse, which occurred on February 22, left eight workers trapped, including two engineers and two technicians. Survivors described the harrowing moment, with supervisor Deepak Jain likening it to a “cloudburst.” Munna Sahoo, a laborer from Jharkhand, recalled how the water flow suddenly surged before loose soil began to cave in. “Those who sensed the danger ran to safety, but eight workers couldn’t escape,” he said. Some laborers sustained minor injuries while fleeing, according to another worker, Obi Sahu, who is related to one of the trapped men. A total of 150 laborers from Jharkhand were working at the site.
Officials remain unsure about the condition of the trapped workers, as the last 150 meters of the tunnel remain completely blocked. “To be honest, the chances of survival are bleak,” an official admitted, pointing to the seven-foot-high accumulation of mud in the collapsed section. Efforts to call out to the workers have gone unanswered, he added.
