Nepal fights time, terrain to save 500 feared trapped in six hydro projects
Nepalese rescue operations are currently challenged by harsh weather and rugged terrain as teams strive to reach over 500 individuals trapped in six hydro-power sites impacted by flash floods. The Nepalese army and armed police are on the ground conducting rescue missions, yet inclement conditions and accessibility issues pose significant hurdles. They are leveraging technology, including drones…
Dehradun: Rescue teams in Nepal are grappling with challenging weather conditions and difficult terrain to reach over five hundred people potentially trapped inside at least six hydroelectric projects, following devastating flash floods. The Nepalese army, in collaboration with the Nepal Armed Police Force (NAPF), is spearheading the rescue mission.
The army has deployed approximately seven thousand troops, while NAPF has mobilized nearly four thousand personnel. NAPF spokesperson, deputy inspector general Netra Bahadur Karki, confirmed that the primary focus is on six projects: upper Trishuli, upper Trishuli-1, Rasuwa hydropower, Trishuli 3A, Chilime Khola, and Langtang hydropower projects.
The exact count of trapped individuals remains unknown but estimates suggest that at least five hundred are stranded. Working continuously, the rescue teams rely on available resources like drones, but inclement weather and road connectivity issues have complicated their efforts. Karki explained that due to heavy rains, operations were halted in the morning and resumed in the afternoon, and beyond Dhunche in Rasuwa district, only helicopters can transport supplies.
The harsh landscape, marked by boulders and massive slush near the hydroelectric sites, poses additional obstacles in clearing exit points to access those trapped. Karki highlighted that the rescue operation is among the most challenging the force has ever undertaken, with 13 personnel reported missing since the tragedy began. A miraculous rescue occurred on Friday evening when a six-year-old girl trapped under a damaged house in Rasuwa’s Timure area was found after being hidden under debris for 60 hours by NAPF personnel responding to her cries for help.
Meanwhile, Nepal’s army spokesperson Brig Gen Rajaram Basnet informed TOI that personnel involved in the rescue operations must frequently adjust their tactics due to unfavorable weather. Soldiers at the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel are using drilling machines to locate the tunnel's exit amidst enormous amounts of mud, slush, and boulders deposited by the floods.
So far, the army has airlifted 208 people, including 38 Chinese nationals and five Indian nationals, to safety as of 2:30 pm on Saturday.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
