You're live with BBC News. Ambulances have been placed on standby in northern India as the operation to rescue 41 workers trapped by a tunnel collapse moves closer to what officials hope will be its final stage. The teams trying to reach the trapped group with a pipe wide enough for them to be evacuated say that about 10 meters of rock are still separating them from safety. Stretch as fitted with wheels will be used to roll them out via the pipe once the rescuers break through. It was hoped the drilling would finish on Thursday, but problems with the machinery has again delayed the rescue. Our South Asia correspondent, Samira Hussein, is at the scene of the rescue attempt in Uttakashi in northern India, rescue operations.

Have again hit a snag. It is the same issue they have faced before, when the machine is drilling through the debris inside the mouth of the tunnel just behind me. They sometimes hit pieces of metal and mesh wires, and that is not something that the machines can get through. It requires people to go in by hand and take those pieces of metal down. So once that is done, the drilling machine will then get up and running. And when it does, officials here feel very confident that they'll be able to reach the trapped men very soon, as long as they don't hit any more obstacles. But remember, this is the third time a machine has broken down and it has resulted in several hours and days of delays. So I think a lot of people here are taking that information with just a little bit of a grain of salt. It's also important to talk about the condition of the men inside the tunnel. They are still to be reported as in healthy condition. They're being provided with food, water and medicines and oxygen. And officials continue to speak with them, making sure that not only are they physically healthy, but their mental health is also important, too.

They need to stay positive and be reassured that they are going to be rescued sometime soon.

That was our South Asian correspondent, Samira Hussein.