India, Feb. 24 -- Eight persons have been trapped under debris and muck for over two days after the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district partially collapsed on Saturday morning. After exhausting every possible way of getting them out, the Telangana government has tapped the rat miners, who had rescued the construction workers trapped in the Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel, for the rescue operation.

Despite relentless efforts by the Indian Army, Navy, NDRF, and other agencies, no breakthrough has been achieved so far in the rescue operations as the teams had to navigate through thick muck, tangled iron rods, and cement blocks to reach the accident spot in the tunnel to extricate the persons who have rem...