Rescuers are just six or seven metres from 41 men trapped in a collapsed tunnel in India, officials have said.
The low-wage workers from India’s poorest states have been stuck in the three mile (4.5km) highway tunnel in Uttarakhand for more than two weeks.
Last week, a drilling machine broke down, delaying the rescue operation.
But on Monday, so-called rat miners were brought in to drill through the rocks and gravel by hand.
They made good progress overnight, officials said.
“About six or seven metres are left,” said Deepak Patil, a senior officer leading the rescue.
More than 50 of an estimated 60 metres of debris have been bored through, he added.
Asked whether the men could be reached on Tuesday, he replied: “Sure, 100%.”
The men have been receiving food, water, light, oxygen and medicines through a pipe.
Local residents pray at the site
The tunnel is part of the £1.2bn Char Dham highway, being built to connect four Hindu pilgrimage sites through a 500-mile network of roads.
While authorities have not said what caused the collapse, there have previously been landslides, earthquakes and floods in the area.
