Nepalese rescue teams are urgently working against time to reach hundreds of missing people trapped inside a hydropower plant tunnel, still holding onto hope even after one week since the disaster occurred.
On Wednesday (2 Sep), rescue workers intensified efforts to reach hundreds of workers believed trapped inside a hydropower tunnel in Nepal’s mountainous region. This represents one of the last hopes to find survivors after the Himalayan flood disaster claimed over 1,200 lives.
The flooding was caused by a glacier collapse near the Nepal-China border, severely damaging towns and valleys along the mountain range. Confirmed deaths stand at least 1,204, with more than 4,200 people still missing.
Rescue efforts have increasingly focused on the hydropower project tunnels, as authorities believe workers may still be alive after being cut off by floodwaters and debris. Some tunnel sections have air shafts supplying ventilation, and rescuers are trying to reach around 900 missing workers inside.
“We are quite confident there are still people alive inside because... there is food and water in the building, which was likely designed for communication and as a resting area,” Amshu Kiran Shahi, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority, told Reuters.
Officials say chances of finding survivors elsewhere are diminishing, but rescue operations continue relentlessly. Teams are searching along mountain slopes near the China border, where floodwaters devastated towns and valleys.
“Hope of finding survivors is gradually fading,” said Phanindra Paudel, a senior official at Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Center. “We can only pray and hold on to hope. Hope is hope.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Balendra Shah told parliament that the search will continue. “Our top priority remains clear: to continue search and rescue operations, find those still missing, and provide ongoing assistance to all affected.”
Large-scale rescue operations are underway or planned at four hydropower plants, with specialized rescue teams from India, China, and the United States joining efforts inside the tunnels.
Shahi said there are two locations with about 90 missing people, considered the most promising for survivors because the tunnels have air. At the 'Trishuli-3A' project, officials believe there is a dry room inside with circulating oxygen, supplemented by oxygen pipes.
Across the border in Tibet, China has raised the death toll to 21 and reports 541 people still missing from the same disaster.
.cna