(NewsNation) — Rescue efforts were renewed Thursday to reach 40 men trapped inside a collapsed highway tunnel in India for the fifth day, as workers began drilling through rock and soil debris with a new machine.
Authorities said they're confident an advanced drilling machine flown in from New Delhi will speed up the rescue at the site in the northern state of Uttarakhand.
The plan is to drill and create space for a pipe that can be used by the trapped men to crawl to safety.
Drilling had penetrated about 10 feet of debris by Thursday morning, officials said, adding that they had to cover a total distance of about 60 meters. The machine can drill through about 2-2.5 meters of rock per hour, said Ranjit Sinha, the state's top disaster management officer.
The workers became stranded on Sunday about 500 feet from the tunnel's entrance after landslides caused a partial collapse.
Since the collapse, the trapped men have been supplied with food, water and oxygen via a pipe and they are in contact with rescuers via walkie-talkies. They also have electricity for lights.
"Two of them, who complained of nausea and minor headache, were given medicines through the pipe and are fine now," Arpan Yaduvanshi, a local police officer said.
Local media reported that a six-bed makeshift hospital was created near the tunnel to cater to any medical attention the men might need once they're rescued.
Authorities have not said what caused the tunnel to cave in but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.
The three-mile tunnel is part of the Char Dham highway, one of the most ambitious projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. The $1.5 billion project aims to connect four Hindu pilgrimage sites through 550 miles of roads.
Reuters contributed to this report.