Rescue operations are underway for over 600 workers trapped in a hydropower plant tunnel due to severe flooding near the Nepal-Tibet border. Rescue teams are battling to access the blocked tunnel by blasting through mountainsides.
According to the BBC on September 1, Nepalese rescue teams are using explosives to clear a path through the mountainside to reach the workers isolated at the Trishuli River hydropower plant. They are also injecting air into the tunnel, but concerns are growing that the 'golden time' for rescuing survivors is slipping away.
Nepal's disaster management authorities report that the floods have resulted in 939 confirmed deaths and 3,925 people missing, including 592 foreigners. Among the missing, an estimated 639 workers are unaccounted for from the hydropower plant. Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal stated that 279 individuals have been rescued from the facility so far.
At the Trishuli-3A hydropower plant, rescue teams are working to supply air and drain water from the tunnel. Excavators and specialized personnel are also deployed at other plants, including Upper Trishuli-1 and Trishuli-3B, to remove debris and rocks blocking the tunnels.
The site is obstructed by boulders larger than houses, hindering rescue efforts. An Australian tunnel expert supporting the search remotely told BBC Radio, "Everything is gone; it looks like the surface of the moon," adding that locating the tunnel itself is a significant challenge.
Families of the missing are increasingly worried that the delay in rescue efforts diminishes the chances of survival. One family member told the BBC, "There is an oxygen supply system in the tunnel where my husband is missing. I still hold onto about 50% hope that he is alive."
Meanwhile, in Chitwan, where the flood damage is concentrated, around 300 unidentified bodies have been washed downstream and are being temporarily buried. Local authorities report a lack of refrigeration facilities to store the bodies, so they are being buried in the forest until DNA testing can confirm identities.
In Tibet, state media reported 16 confirmed deaths and 546 missing persons. Chinese authorities have ordered the removal of online posts spreading false information about the scale of the flood damage and have issued warnings and fines to those predicting higher casualty figures than the official count.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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