Express in Nepal: In their own ‘war room’, workers of a priavte firm plan search for 150 missing colleagues

Inside a tense room on the ground floor of a Kathmandu hotel, 10 people gather around a wall displaying a map of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydroelectric Project area. Nearly 100 of their colleagues are trapped in this region, with 639 people missing across 15 hydropower projects in the aftermath of a devastating flash flood on August 26.

The Austrian company Andritz, a subcontractor for the project, has established a makeshift "war room" to coordinate rescue efforts for its 250 Indian and Nepali workers. A few coffee tables and sofas create a makeshift conference space, with discussions focusing on how to rescue the stranded workers. Mayank Tomer, Andritz's country head, notes that while Nepalese army continues search and rescue, the company is taking its own actions.

Nearly 100 of Andritz's workers remain missing, and it's unclear how many are still alive. The company has shared worker coordinates and project details with the Nepalese army, and has previously used a helicopter to drop food. On Tuesday, they plan to fly four people to the area and send eight others on a 10-hour drive using four-wheel-drive vehicles.

If vehicles can't reach, they will trek. The team faces challenges, including no internet and weak mobile signals, making it difficult to access real-time information. The affected area is vast, with five priority spots identified for search operations. Despite the odds, the team remains hopeful, but their chances are slim, with only a week passing since the flood.