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International
Rat-hole mining technique from Uttarakhand’s Silkyara rescue deployed to save Nepalese workers
✍️ Hindustan Times
🗓 15 Sep 2026, 08:36 AM
👁 8
The rat‑hole mining method that helped free trapped miners in Silkyara, Uttarakhand, is now being used in Nepal to rescue a group of workers trapped underground.
New Delhi, Sept 15 — Authorities in Nepal have adopted the rat‑hole mining technique that proved successful in the recent Silkyara rescue in Uttarakhand, India, to extricate a team of workers trapped in a collapsed mine shaft. The method involves creating narrow, controlled tunnels to reach victims without destabilising the surrounding rock, allowing rescuers to deliver supplies and extract the injured safely.
The decision to use the Indian‑origin approach came after consultations between Nepalese mine officials and Indian rescue experts who had overseen the Silkyara operation earlier this year. Both sides said the technique’s precision and minimal surface disruption made it suitable for the fragile geology of the Nepalese site.
Rescue teams have already begun drilling the first rat‑hole tunnel, and preliminary reports indicate that the trapped workers are receiving oxygen and medical aid through the newly created passage. Officials expect the full extraction to be completed within the next 48 hours, pending safety assessments.
The cross‑border cooperation underscores growing collaboration in disaster response between the two neighboring countries, with Nepal expressing gratitude for the expertise shared by Indian specialists.
No casualties have been reported so far, and the operation continues under the close supervision of both Nepalese and Indian safety engineers.
The decision to use the Indian‑origin approach came after consultations between Nepalese mine officials and Indian rescue experts who had overseen the Silkyara operation earlier this year. Both sides said the technique’s precision and minimal surface disruption made it suitable for the fragile geology of the Nepalese site.
Rescue teams have already begun drilling the first rat‑hole tunnel, and preliminary reports indicate that the trapped workers are receiving oxygen and medical aid through the newly created passage. Officials expect the full extraction to be completed within the next 48 hours, pending safety assessments.
The cross‑border cooperation underscores growing collaboration in disaster response between the two neighboring countries, with Nepal expressing gratitude for the expertise shared by Indian specialists.
No casualties have been reported so far, and the operation continues under the close supervision of both Nepalese and Indian safety engineers.