"Exceeded Expectation": Rescue Op Chief On Uttarakhand "Rat Miners"

The rat miners who made the breakthrough in Uttarakhand, digging the last 12 metre stretch in less than 24 hours, had beaten expectations," said  Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, a member of NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority).

"I thought they would progress at the rate of two to three meters in 18/20 hours. But they managed to do 10 meters in less than 18 hours," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

The workers, he said, took impediments in stride and managed to deliver fast, working under conditions that were "extremely cramped".