RESCUE workers trying to reach 41 workers who have been trapped in a collapsed tunnel in northern India for eight days were contemplating alternative rescue plans today.

This comes after snags with a drilling machine caused them to halt digging.

Rescuers were waiting for a new drilling machine to arrive at the Uttarakhand accident site that would be used to create a space for the workers to crawl to their freedom.

The previous drill was damaged while attempting to break through rocks and debris.

Officials were considering today new angles for extracting the workers. Deepa Gaur, a government spokesperson, said this included possibly using the new machine to drill from the top of the hill, under which the workers have been trapped inside the collapsed tunnel.

This method would be more time consuming, taking an additional four or five days, she added.

The construction workers have been trapped since November 12, when a landslide caused a portion of the 2.8-mile-long tunnel they were building to collapse. 

But as the rescue operation drags on, families of those stuck under ground are growing more worried, frustrated and angry.

“I am losing my patience,” said Maharaj Singh Negi, whose brother Gabbar Singh is among the trapped workers. “The officials have not even briefed us about the future plans.”