Nepal rescuers blast hillside in search of hydropower workers as families wait anxiously

Families of over 600 workers who may be trapped in a network of tunnels along Nepal's Trishuli River are hopeful they will be found alive. Rescuers are attempting to reach them by using explosives to break into the hillside and pumping air into the Trishuli-3A site, fearing the window to save survivors is narrowing. Anushila Bhandari, whose husband Aurus Bhandari, a 33-year-old engineer, is missing on a project site, expressed her wish for her husband's return.

The death toll from the flood disaster now stands at 939, with 3,925 people missing, including 592 foreigners. Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah reported that 279 people have been rescued from the sites. The rescue mission involves an international team of Chinese and Nepalese military personnel, as well as experts from India, Korea, and Australia.

Priya Kharel, whose brother Milan was an engineer at the Upper Trishuli-1 plant when the floods hit, expressed her hope that her brother could be saved. Australian engineer Arnold Dix, who is assisting with the underground search operations remotely, explained that rescuers have been struggling to locate the tunnels due to the overwhelming rubble.