India:

Rescue workers trying to reach workers trapped for almost a week in a collapsed highway tunnel in the Indian Himalayas worked on Saturday to replace the main digging machine so work could resume.

The disaster management office has increased the number of people trapped in the tunnel in Uttarakhand state from 40 to 41 since Sunday morning. Officials have said that everyone is safe.

The auger machine drilling into the debris broke down on Friday.

Anshu Malik Halco, director of the state-run National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDC), told Reuters that a new machine from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh had arrived at the scene.

“We will first bring out the damaged machine from inside and then install a new machine. This will take time and I cannot comment on the timeline. It is a delicate and risky operation,” Helko said.

Authorities have not said what caused the 4.5 km (3-mile) long tunnel to collapse, but the area is at risk of landslides, earthquakes and flooding.

Reading: Indian workers trapped in collapsed tunnel, hampering rescue efforts

Fifty to sixty workers were on night shift at the time of the collapse, and those near the exit gate exited the tunnel onto the national highway that is part of the Char Dham Hindu pilgrimage route.

Work was halted on Friday after “massive cracking sounds” were heard as rescue workers sought to restart the drilling machine, according to an NHIDC report.

About 100 tunnel workers gathered at the site on Saturday and demanded faster progress in reaching and freeing the trapped people.

Vishnu Sahu, a worker leading the protest, said the rescue team was keeping the workers in the dark about the pace of rescue progress.

“We want the top people of the company to come here,” Sahu said.