The first two workers have been rescued from a tunnel in India after being trapped for more than two weeks.
The labourers became stuck after a highway tunnel in Uttarakhand state collapsed on 12 November.
So-called rat miners were brought in to drill through rocks and gravel by hand after a large drilling machine broke down.
Once the men had been reached, three teams of four rescuers were due to enter the area they were trapped in.
Workers being rescued from tunnel in India – follow live updates
An ambulance waiting to carry workers to hospital. Pic: AP
Their job was to prepare the workers to be pulled through a pipe to safety, said Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain from the National Disaster Management Authority.
“We have been involved in this for more than 400 hours and are taking all safety precautions until the end,” he told reporters in New Delhi.
