Why finding missing workers from Nepal's hydropower tunnels is proving to be difficult

NEW DELHI — In a tragic incident, two workers were rescued from a submerged hydropower tunnel in Nepal after nine days of the disaster that has claimed over 1,200 lives across Nepal and China. The survivors were pulled alive on Friday from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project situated along the Trishuli River. One of the rescued men reportedly informed rescuers that more individuals remain alive inside the tunnel.

As of now, at least 900 workers are missing from various hydropower projects, with approximately 500 presumed to be trapped within the tunnels, according to officials and industry representatives.

Access to the tunnels has been hampered by relentless flooding, piles of debris, and damaged infrastructure, posing significant challenges for rescue teams attempting to reach the trapped workers. Rescuers are methodically scouring the tunnels, which are laden with debris, aided by foreign experts. The teams have been laboring in several hydropower projects, navigating through dark, debris-filled tunnels, wading through muck, and scrambling over rocks in a desperate search for the missing workers.

Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal, disclosed that floods have inflicted damage to at least 12 hydropower projects in Rasuwa and Nuwako districts, exacerbating the rescue situation.