Drones helped find people after Nepal floods but the search inside hydropower tunnels is a challenge

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Drone pilot Manish Maharjan has assisted rescue teams in Nepal locate missing individuals following the catastrophic floods last week, utilizing drones equipped with speakers mounted to their devices. These speakers were employed to communicate with stranded individuals or play music, aiming to elicit a response from the trapped victims on the hillsides.

However, the search for hundreds of workers thought to be trapped inside hydropower plant tunnels has proven to be a markedly different and more challenging endeavor, according to Maharjan.

Maharjan, who is also a filmmaker, joined the Nepal Army's rescue efforts the day after the Aug. 26 flash floods, which have resulted in over 1,000 fatalities and left thousands of people missing in Nepal and Tibet. "We discovered the tunnels were filled with mud like toothpaste in a tube," Maharjan remarked. "There was no empty or hollow space inside."

The torrential water flow unleashed after a glacial collapse in the Himalayan region caused extensive damage to critical infrastructure, including roads, buildings, bridges, and hydropower plants. At least 900 workers remain unaccounted for from 12 hydropower projects buried under mud and debris, with about 500 of them believed to be trapped within the tunnels of the power plants.

Some workers within the tunnels managed to call for assistance as the disaster struck, as reported by Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers’ Association. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether rescuers have managed to establish any contact with the trapped workers.