{
  "id": 4244614,
  "title": "Nepal floods: rescuers send air pipe into tunnel with trapped workers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/nepal-floods-rescuers-send-air-pipe-into-tunnel-with-trapped-workers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-29T17:38:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365721/nepal-floods-rescuers-send-air-pipe-tunnel-trapped-workers"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Saturday, Nepali army rescuers successfully broke through a hydropower tunnel and initiated the process of pumping air and inserting a camera inside, offering hope for reaching the trapped workers who had been buried since a catastrophic flood struck the area three days prior. The government estimates that more than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped within the tunnels at the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites, with rescue operations centered on these locations. A total of 933 hydropower workers are currently missing following a wall of mud and debris that surged down on Wednesday morning. The United States Geological Survey attributed the disaster on the China-Nepal border to a glacial collapse, with 682 confirmed fatalities and nearly 3,000 people still unaccounted for.\n\nRescue teams equipped with drills successfully penetrated the Trishuli 3A tunnel on Saturday evening, establishing a small opening through which air was sent. The Ministry of Energy reported partial success in the drilling operation and began efforts to insert a camera and provide oxygen into the tunnel. Specialized Indian and Chinese tunnel-rescue teams have joined the rescue mission, drawing upon their expertise in navigating narrow spaces. Nepal's minister of energy, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, acknowledged that rescue efforts are underway in multiple tunnel sites, despite the challenging weather conditions and treacherous circumstances.\n\nPhotographs shared by the disaster office illustrated the arduous work of rescue workers as they navigated through churned mud and over massive boulders left by the floods. Nepal's appeal for specialized rescue kits, such as heavy-lift drones and technologies to locate individuals alive in the affected areas, was also made. Nepal's mountain rescue teams, known for their experience in aiding climbers on some of the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest, are also contributing to the search for missing individuals at another compromised hydropower site. President of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, Tul Singh Gurung, expressed confidence in the skills of these teams, stating that their experience in rescue operations for people trapped in risky locations would prove beneficial in the current situation.",
  "summary": "Nepali army rescuers broke through to a hydropower tunnel on Saturday and began pumping air and sending a camera inside, raising hopes of reaching workers trapped since devastating floods struck the site three days earlier. Nepal’s government says more than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects, with rescue efforts focused on the Trishuli 3A and 3B…",
  "key_points": [
    "Nepali army breaks through hydropower tunnel, begins air pump",
    "Over 100 workers may still be alive, trapped in Trishuli 3A/B sites",
    "USGS links disaster to glacial collapse on China-Nepal border"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The New York Times",
        "title": "Nepal Rescuers Bore Through Tunnels to Try to Reach 900 Workers Missing After Floods",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/nepal-rescuers-bore-through-tunnels-to-try-to-reach-900-workers",
        "published": "2026-08-29T19:55:20.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}