'Rat miners' burrow to rescue 41 men stuck in Indian tunnel

FILE PHOTO: Rescuers operate after workers got trapped in a collapse of an under-construction tunnel, in Uttarkashi, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 26, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File photo

SILKYARA, India (Reuters) -Rescuers on Monday brought in "rat miners" to drill through a narrow pipe and help pull out 41 construction workers trapped in a tunnel in the Indian Himalayas for more than two weeks after high-powered machines failed, officials said.

The men, low-wage workers from India's poorest states, have been stuck in the 4.5km (3 miles) tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it collapsed on Nov. 12.