“We don’t know what the drilling machine will have to cut through. It could be loose soil or rocks. But we are prepared."

According to authorities, the accused bought the snake from a local snake charmer, telling him he wanted the cobra for religious purposes.

The disaster happened at the Cochin University of Science and Technology, where students were enjoying a live-music event.

The mountainous terrain in the area has proven to be a challenge for the drilling machine, which had earlier broken twice.

The attack was reportedly the third in a week, and officials were trying desperately to capture the monkeys responsible.

Officials were contemplating alternative rescue plans Sunday after snags with a drilling machine caused them to halt digging.

“The administration keeps changing the timeline for when they may be rescued," one relative said. "It's very frustrating."

Forty workers are trapped by a landslide at a construction project in northern India with rescue attempts being made.

Rescue work is in progress and oxygen is being pumped into the collapsed section of the tunnel to help the trapped workers breathe.

“It’s jaw dropping, mind blowing,” one visitor said about the new temple. “You can see divinity radiating through it all.”