Nepal rescuers search for 121 feared trapped in hydropower tunnels after deadly floods
I rescuers on Monday concentrated on 121 hydropower workers feared trapped inside tunnels after catastrophic floods and mudslides tore through towns and...
Nepali rescuers on Monday concentrated on 121 hydropower workers feared trapped inside tunnels after catastrophic floods and mudslides tore through towns and villages near Nepal’s border with China. The search comes as the country counts more than 1,380 dead and over 5,500 missing from the disaster.
Nepal marked its national mourning day, with the flag flying at half-mast at home and abroad. For families waiting for news, the focus has narrowed sharply to the country’s hydroelectric projects, where about 900 workers are still missing, officials said.
Hope, and a narrow window
Army rescuers said about 121 of the missing could have been trapped in tunnels. Others may have been working elsewhere at the power plants, but not in the underground network. That distinction matters. It shapes where teams dig, search and cut through debris.
The rescues so far have given families a brief lift. Four people have been pulled out alive in separate operations since the floods struck, including two Nepalese workers on Friday and a Chinese man and a woman rescued on Saturday, according to reports from the scene. The man was evacuated by helicopter from a 225-meter tunnel and later underwent a health assessment.
Chilime under close watch
Among the projects drawing the most attention is Chilime hydropower in the hard-hit Rasuwa district. Shri Ram Neupane, a lawmaker involved in rescue efforts, told Reuters that four out of six people missing there could still be alive.
Authorities have obtained specialised equipment and identified techniques needed for the Chilime operation, Neupane said. Rescuers believe survivors may still be inside. The work is slow, difficult and made more urgent by the scale of the destruction around it.
Flood damage reaches beyond Nepal
The disaster has left a wide trail of damage on the Himalayan border with China, where roads, bridges and settlements were battered by the flooding. The disaster has also drawn attention from China, which said it would promptly share information.
For Nepal, the immediate task is grim and practical: find those still alive, or account for those who are not. With 900 hydropower workers still missing from the projects, and 121 of them feared underground, rescuers are working against both time and terrain.
