Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: rat-hole mining to be employed to drill through debris

In an effort to step up the rescue operations in the Uttarkashi tunnel, a rat-hole mining technique will be used for manual drilling to remove the debris.

Citing sources, news agency ANI said that a team of 6 specialists have reached the site.

Apart from the drilling machine, these teams carry hammers, shovels, trowels and a device for oxygen.

The technique, which is banned in Meghalaya, is generally used in coal mining, especially in regions that have difficult terrain.

"It is a challenging operation. We were called in from Delhi. We reached here yesterday. We are basically from Madhya Pradesh. We will try our best to complete the drilling process as soon as possible," one of the civilian specialists who reached the site to carry out manual drilling told ANI.

Also Watch: Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: vertical drilling up to 31 of 86 metres done