{
  "id": 4594570,
  "title": "Nepal teams seek hundreds trapped in hydropower tunnels after deadly floods",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/nepal-teams-seek-hundreds-trapped-in-hydropower-tunnels-after-deadly-4594570",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-31T07:17:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2026368/nepal-teams-seek-hundreds-trapped-in-hydropower-tunnels-after-deadly-floods"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nepal's rescue teams, backed by Chinese and Indian specialists, labored through the night to access hundreds of individuals potentially trapped inside blocked tunnels of hydropower projects following the disastrous flood that struck the Himalayan region last week. The catastrophic deluge, triggered by a glacier collapse on the Nepal-Tibet border, caused widespread destruction in Nepal's valley towns and villages and spilled across the border into China. Over 900 people perished in the disaster, leaving nearly 5,000 missing. The bodies, many unidentifiable, were hastily buried in shallow graves due to the humid climate in the plains of Nepal. The focus of rescue operations was on locating the hundreds of workers reported to be stranded inside approximately half a dozen tunnels blocked by mud and rock debris. Images and videos from the rescue crews revealed earth-moving machinery tirelessly excavating mud and rocks under the cover of darkness. Military personnel utilized torchlight in a large pit they had constructed to identify potential entry points into the tunnels. Located at Chilime Hydropower Plant, a rescuer worked at the tunnel entrance as rescue efforts persisted. A rescuer stands at the entrance of a tunnel at Chilime Hydropower Plant as rescue operations continue for people trapped inside following deadly flash floods and a mudslide, in Rasuwa, Nepal on August 29, 2026. —AFP The disaster management authority of Nepal reported 933 people missing from hydropower projects in the flood-affected region. The Red Cross estimated that over 90,000 individuals were likely impacted by the catastrophe, which China attributed to the consequences of climate change. On Monday, Nepali authorities confirmed 903 deaths and 4,247 missing individuals, including the 933 at hydropower projects. Chinese authorities reported 16 fatalities in Gyirong County and 546 people missing. Assessing the full extent of the damage proved to be a formidable challenge for Nepal's Prime Minister, Balendra Shah, stating that the immense amount of debris deposited posed a significant hurdle in reopening the tunnels. Prime Minister Shah emphasized that the flood was an unprecedented and devastating natural disaster, highlighting the ongoing difficulties in evaluating the full impact of the catastrophe. Despite the adverse weather conditions, treacherous terrain, and persistent risks, Nepal continued its determined efforts to save its citizens, as conveyed by the Prime Minister in a Facebook post late on Sunday. He mentioned that around 21,000 security personnel, alongside civilian workers and volunteers, were actively engaged in the rescue operations. China's President Xi Jinping, during a visit to Kyrgyzstan, pledged Beijing's relentless pursuit to locate missing individuals in the aftermath of the disaster, according to Xinhua news agency. China reported 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries were unaccounted for in Tibet, close to a crucial border crossing with Nepal. The Chinese state-run CCTV reported that Beijing had mobilized more than 2,100 rescue workers and allocated a minimum of 220 million yuan to support relief efforts. They had also been airdropping equipment and supplies to frontline rescuers, while their soldiers utilized life-detection equipment to search for the missing. Nepal, although claiming it did not require foreign assistance for general rescue and search operations, sought the expertise of its neighbors India and China in tunnel rescue scenarios. Rescue operations faced multiple suspensions since Friday due to unfavorable weather conditions and concerns that a lake formed across the Nepal-China border by the disaster might trigger additional flooding as it began overflowing into Nepal's rivers. State television CCTV reported that another lake had largely drained upstream after a landslide, 2.8 km downstream from the initial lake formed by the glacier collapse. Authorities are currently monitoring an expanding crater near the site of the glacier collapse on the Nepalese side, which had expanded to 174,000 square meters by Saturday evening, according to state media. The crater contained an estimated reservoir of 2.5 million cubic meters, and authorities warned that if the reservoir were to breach, it could lead to a chain reaction of further lakes downstream. The crater's expansion significantly increased the risk of subsequent landslides along the river, potentially generating additional lakes. Authorities identified eight high-risk locations for geological disasters. The flood's cause was attributed to \"glacier instability under the long-term effects of global warming,\" as reported by China's state broadcaster. The broadcaster described the event as a \"new and prominent feature of cryosphere disasters\" on the Tibetan plateau. Two Nepali officials told Reuters that China had not provided substantial information on glacier risks and water levels following a recent meeting aimed at enhancing cooperation, and they expressed apprehension that a lack of data sharing could hinder future disaster preparedness. China's foreign ministry did not respond to inquiries regarding the meeting.",
  "summary": "Nepal’s rescue teams, helped by Chinese and Indian experts, worked overnight to reach hundreds of people believed to be stuck inside blocked hydropower project tunnels in the aftermath of last week’s Himalayan flood that carved a trail of destruction in the country’s valley towns and villages as well as across the border in China. The unprecedented deluge of ice, rock, mud and debris on the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Nepal floods: could foreign rescue teams have been brought in earlier?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/nepal-floods-could-foreign-rescue-teams-have-been-brought-in-earlier",
        "published": "2026-08-31T02:45:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Gov't team begins ground search for 9 missing Koreans in Nepal floods",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/govt-team-begins-ground-search-for-9-missing-koreans-in-nepal-floods",
        "published": "2026-08-31T03:43:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Gov't team begins ground search for 9 missing Koreans in Nepal floods",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/govt-team-begins-ground-search-for-9-missing-koreans-in-nepal-floods-4577244",
        "published": "2026-08-31T05:32:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Jerusalem Post",
        "title": "Nepal teams seek hundreds trapped in hydropower tunnels after deadly floods",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/nepal-teams-seek-hundreds-trapped-in-hydropower-tunnels-after-deadly",
        "published": "2026-08-31T07:02:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}