Uttarkashi tunnel collapse LIVE Updates: As a multi-agency effort to rescue 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi has entered the final stretch, ambulances were put on standby and a special ward at a local health centre kept ready. On Wednesday evening, drilling of steel pipes through the rubble hit a hurdle when some iron rods came in the way of the auger machine. Officials, however, expected the rescue mission to be over today. According to officials, an American-made auger machine had to drill through a 57-metre stretch of debris to reach the workers, who were trapped when a portion of the under-construction tunnel collapsed on November 12. A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has also entered the tunnel. A team of 15 doctors, including chest specialists, has been deployed at the site in anticipation of the evacuation. It should be noted here that Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are keeping close eyes on the rescue operation and assured of all possible help.