Nepal rescuers turn attention to workers trapped in hydropower tunnels after deadly flood

Rescue teams in Nepal are intensifying their efforts to reach hundreds of workers trapped inside blocked hydropower tunnels following a deadly flood last week. Officials have identified 933 workers as potentially trapped across 11 hydropower projects, with many located in tunnels in the districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot. Rescue teams are employing earth-moving equipment to navigate through mud and rocks in the dark, facing significant challenges in opening the tunnels due to a large amount of debris.

The Nepalese army spokesman, Raja Ram Basnet, stated that the primary focus is on clearing the tunnels. The catastrophic flood, caused by a glacier collapse, has resulted in at least 903 deaths and 5,000 people still missing, including 590 foreign nationals from 39 countries. Prime Minister Balendra Shah described the disaster as unprecedented and devastating, emphasizing the difficulty in assessing the full extent of the damage.

On the Chinese side of the border, 16 people were killed in Gyirong County, with 546 others still unaccounted for. While Nepal does not require foreign assistance for general search and rescue operations, it has sought China's expertise in tunnel rescue. Rescue operations have been temporarily halted due to adverse weather conditions and concerns about the potential for further flooding from the lake formed across the Nepal-China border.