Dehradun, Nov 26 (IANS): The rescue operation to rescue 41 trapped workers from Uttarakhand's Silkyara tunnel that was halted on November 25 after the blades of the Auger machine got stuck in the rubble resumed on Sunday.

A plasma cutter machine from Hyderabad was flown in after the Auger blades suffered damages during drilling. An official said on Sunday that the plasma cutter has been deployed to pull out the stuck parts of the Auger machine for which vertical drilling has been started.

So far, vertical drilling has been done till 15 metres.

Besides, another laser-assisted cutter has been brought in from Chandigarh for further assistance in the ongoing rescue work to retrieve the stuck components of Auger machine.

National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd., Managing Director, Mahmood Ahmed, said the Auger machine parts are stuck 13.9 metres inside.

He sounded hopeful of retrieving the components by Monday.

"Rail Vikas Nigam Limited will also join the rescue work from November 28," he added.

Ahmed said the trapped workers would be rescued in another 15 days.