"These are being connected; drilling work will start soon," officials said

"We have airlifted a latest machine from Delhi, the Indian Air Force is helping us. In the next few hours we will be able to install the machine and rescue work will resume," says Anshu Manish Khalko, Director, NHIDCL (National Highway & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited)

Meanwhile, protests broke out on Wednesday outside the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi as workers protested over the delay in rescuing 40 labourers who have been trapped inside after a portion of the under-construction tunnel collapsed on Sunday

Even as relief and rescue operation continued on war footing, fresh debris falling from the roof of the tunnel are hampering the rescue work

Rescuers had prepared a platform for the auger drilling machine to insert large-diameter steel pipes into the debris-filled tunnel, that aims to create a passage through which labourers could be brought out safely

However, visuals from the site showed rescue officials using JCB machines to remove the fresh debris and working to mount the auger machine on the platform again to push the steel pipes into the tunnel

Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar told ANI that relief and rescue work was proceeding on war footing, drilling work is being done with auger drilling machine

DGP said that efforts are being made by the central agencies with the help of Air Force to bring in a heavy auger drilling machine, which will speed up the rescue work

Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela, State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) Commandant Manikant Mishra, Superintendent of Police Arpan Yaduvanshi, Chief Development Officer Gaurav Kumar, and many other officers are present at the spot and are playing their role in the rescue operation