‘Rat hole’ miners lauded for India tunnel rescue hope for greater recognition

Team who made breakthrough hope acclaim will lead to more awareness of their value and the risks of their work

The rat hole" miners who finally rescued 41 Indian workers who had been trapped in a mountain tunnel for more than two weeks on Tuesday have said the operation involved 26 hours of digging by hand, as they sought to highlight the harsh conditions and lack of dignity faced by manual labourers in India.

Munna Qureshi, 33, was the first of the 12-man team to break through a wall of rubble and lay eyes on the 41 workers who had been trapped in the collapsed tunnel in the Himalayan mountains since 12 November.