Aces of spades: The men who went where machines couldn’t

After consecutive setbacks caused by the auger machine's failure, a team of 'rat-hole' miners from Rockwell, a Delhi-based private company, was deployed to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel. Working under the supervision of the Indian Army, the miners, led by Wakeel Hasan, successfully excavated the final 12 meters in less than 24 hours. This rescue operation was described as extraordinary, as the miners had prior experience in excavating small tunnels for sewer and water pipe lines.