<p>The 400-hour Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation in India ended with emotional tears and smiles, as the 41 workers – who were trapped in the Silkyara tunnel – emerged alive and safe from the dark hole.</p>

<p>But the first ones to greet these trapped but hopeful workers were the rat-hole miners who had been drilling for long with their hands with the aim of safely evacuating the trapped workers from the tunnel.</p>

<p>The miners only had smiles on their faces once the workers emerged and all their exhaustion from digging the tunnel was overpowered by their happiness.</p>

<p>"The workers were so happy seeing us. They hugged us and offered us almonds," said one of the miners, Devendra, while speaking to NDTV. "We cut 15 metres. We were very happy when we reached there and got a glimpse of them," said another miner.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/seven-of-41-workers-pulled-out-of-collapsed-uttarakhand-tunnel-all-to-be-evacuated-in-2-hours-663915">Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation: After 17-day ordeal, all 41 workers evacuated safely</a></p>

<p>Expressing the happiness of success achieved in the rescue operation, one of the SDRF workers said to news agency ANI, "It is a big day for us today. All the workers have finally been rescued successfully. It was a very difficult operation. All the trapped workers are healthy and safe."</p>

<h2><strong>Rescuers resort to 'banned practice' of rat-hole mining</strong></h2>

<p>The banned practice of rat-hole mining was adopted by the rescuers after an imported, high-tech drilling machine stopped working in the last leg of the operation. Then, the miners started manually drilling their way towards the trapped workers.</p>

<p>"They worked very hard. We were convinced that we must rescue the trapped workers. This was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. They worked 24 hours non-stop to bring them out," the team leader said, as reported by NDTV.</p>

<p>Speaking about the role of the rat-hole miners, Uttarakhand Chief Minister in a press conference said, "Machines kept getting busted, but I want to thank the manual miners. I even met the workers who were trapped. They said they faced no problem inside the tunnel.”</p>

<p>When National Disaster Management Authority's Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retired) was questioned regarding resorting to the illegal technique of rat-hole mining in a press conference, he said, "The rat-hole mining may be illegal but a rat-hole miner's talent and experience is being used.”</p>

<p>“This is a special situation where we have to save lives. They are technicians and we are using their skills and their capabilities to rescue the workers," another official added.</p>

<h2><strong>No tunnel is too difficult, says Anand Mahindra</strong></h2>

<p>As the rescue operation emerged successful, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra took to X to appreciate the workers and said that they had reminded everyone "that no tunnel is too difficult to emerge from".</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: All workers safe, rescue team conducting mock drills says NDRF&nbsp;</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/uttarakhand-tunnel-collapse-all-workers-safe-rescue-team-conducting-mock-drills-says-ndrf-wion-663927/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>"It's time for gratitude. Thank you to EVERY single person who worked tirelessly over the past 17 days to save these 41 precious lives. More than any sporting victory could have, you have uplifted the spirits of a country &amp; united us in our hope. You've reminded us that no tunnel is too difficult to emerge from, no task is impossible when our actions &amp; prayers are collaborative &amp; collective. #Uttarakhand," he wrote on the microblogging platform.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It’s time for gratitude. Thank you to EVERY single person who worked tirelessly over the past 17 days to save these 41 precious lives. More than any sporting victory could have, you have uplifted the spirits of a country &amp; united us in our hope. You’ve reminded us that no tunnel… <a href="https://t.co/ZSTRZAAJOl">https://t.co/ZSTRZAAJOl</a></p>
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) <a href="https://twitter.com/anandmahindra/status/1729513285676851509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>After 17 days of the rescue operation, the 41 workers were evacuated from the Silkyara tunnel in the Uttarkashi district of India's Uttarakhand, which had collapsed on November 12.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


The 400-hour Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation in India ended with emotional tears and smiles, as the 41 workers – who were trapped in the Silkyara tunnel – emerged alive and safe from the dark hole.

The 400-hour Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation in India ended with emotional tears and smiles, as the 41 workers – who were trapped in the Silkyara tunnel – emerged alive and safe from the dark hole. But the first ones to greet these trapped but hopeful workers were the rat-hole miners who had been drilling for long with their hands with the aim of safely evacuating the trapped workers from the tunnel. The miners only had smiles on their faces once the workers emerged and all their exhaustion from digging the tunnel was overpowered by their happiness. "The workers were so happy seeing us. They hugged us and offered us almonds," said one of the miners, Devendra, while speaking to NDTV. "We cut 15 metres. We were very happy when we reached there and got a glimpse of them," said another miner. Also read: Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation: After 17-day ordeal, all 41 workers evacuated safely Expressing the happiness of success achieved in the rescue operation, one of the SDRF workers said to news agency ANI, "It is a big day for us today. All the workers have finally been rescued successfully. It was a very difficult operation. All the trapped workers are healthy and safe." Rescuers resort to 'banned practice' of rat-hole mining The banned practice of rat-hole mining was adopted by the rescuers after an imported, high-tech drilling machine stopped working in the last leg of the operation. Then, the miners started manually drilling their way towards the trapped workers. "They worked very hard. We were convinced that we must rescue the trapped workers. This was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. They worked 24 hours non-stop to bring them out," the team leader said, as reported by NDTV. Speaking about the role of the rat-hole miners, Uttarakhand Chief Minister in a press conference said, "Machines kept getting busted, but I want to thank the manual miners. I even met the workers who were trapped. They said they faced no problem inside the tunnel.” When National Disaster Management Authority's Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retired) was questioned regarding resorting to the illegal technique of rat-hole mining in a press conference, he said, "The rat-hole mining may be illegal but a rat-hole miner's talent and experience is being used.” “This is a special situation where we have to save lives. They are technicians and we are using their skills and their capabilities to rescue the workers," another official added. No tunnel is too difficult, says Anand Mahindra As the rescue operation emerged successful, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra took to X to appreciate the workers and said that they had reminded everyone "that no tunnel is too difficult to emerge from". Watch: Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: All workers safe, rescue team conducting mock drills says NDRF "It's time for gratitude. Thank you to EVERY single person who worked tirelessly over the past 17 days to save these 41 precious lives. More than any sporting victory could have, you have uplifted the spirits of a country & united us in our hope. You've reminded us that no tunnel is too difficult to emerge from, no task is impossible when our actions & prayers are collaborative & collective. #Uttarakhand," he wrote on the microblogging platform. It’s time for gratitude. Thank you to EVERY single person who worked tirelessly over the past 17 days to save these 41 precious lives. More than any sporting victory could have, you have uplifted the spirits of a country & united us in our hope. You’ve reminded us that no tunnel… https://t.co/ZSTRZAAJOl — anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) November 28, 2023 × After 17 days of the rescue operation, the 41 workers were evacuated from the Silkyara tunnel in the Uttarkashi district of India's Uttarakhand, which had collapsed on November 12. (With inputs from agencies)

Uttarakhand tunnel rescue: Rat-hole miners emerge as 'real heroes', save lives with outlawed technique

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