Rescue teams in Nepal are intensifying efforts to reach hundreds of workers believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels after devastating floods swept through parts of the country last week.
The search has become increasingly urgent as rescuers work through mud, water and collapsed sections of underground infrastructure in the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli corridor, one of the areas hardest hit by the disaster.
The flooding, which struck on 26 August, caused widespread destruction across northern Nepal and neighbouring Tibet. Nepal’s disaster authorities had reported 939 deaths and 3,925 people missing by Monday, although casualty figures have continued to change as search teams gain access to isolated areas.
Hydropower facilities have emerged as one of the most difficult parts of the rescue operation. Hundreds of workers remain unaccounted for across several projects in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, with some believed to have been inside tunnels when floodwaters and debris struck.
At the Upper Trishuli-3A project, Nepal Army teams have located the entrance to a tunnel and are pumping air into the underground area while draining water and clearing debris. Excavators and rock-breaking equipment are being used to create access for rescuers.
Specialist teams are also working at other hydropower sites. Rescue workers have reportedly advanced into tunnels at Chilime, Langtang Hydropower and Upper Trishuli-1, although thick mud and damaged infrastructure continue to slow the operation.
According to data from Nepal’s Independent Power Producers’ Association, 894 people remained unaccounted for across 11 hydropower projects as of Tuesday. The Upper Trishuli-1 project accounts for the largest number, with 573 people still missing. Around 300 of those are believed to have been working inside tunnels, although authorities have yet to establish exactly how many were underground when the flooding occurred.
The scale of the search has prompted assistance from neighbouring countries and international rescue specialists. Chinese and South Korean teams have been involved at affected hydropower sites, while India has provided aerial and logistical support.
Some workers have already been rescued. Nepal’s Army said 279 people were brought out alive from various hydropower projects immediately after the floods, including 221 from Upper Trishuli-3A and 33 from Upper Trishuli-1.
However, families of those still missing are facing an increasingly painful wait.
Among them is Anushila Bhandari, whose 33-year-old husband, engineer Aurus Bhandari, was working at a project site when the disaster struck.
“I wish we could find him. I wish he would come home,” she told BBC Nepali.
The search is taking place against the backdrop of a disaster that has affected communities far beyond the hydropower sector. Floodwaters and debris have destroyed roads, bridges, buildings and energy infrastructure, while thousands of people remain displaced or unaccounted for.
The disaster has also renewed concern about the vulnerability of Himalayan infrastructure to increasingly severe climate-related hazards. The flooding followed a glacier collapse and unleashed large quantities of water, rock, mud and debris through mountainous communities.
Nepal’s hydropower industry is particularly exposed because many projects are located along steep river valleys where access can be difficult even under normal conditions. The recent destruction has therefore raised questions about how future infrastructure can be designed to withstand extreme weather and rapidly changing conditions in the Himalayas.
For now, however, the priority remains finding those who may still be alive underground.
Rescue teams continue to clear blocked passages, pump air and water, and search damaged facilities as families wait for news of their relatives.
With each day making the operation more difficult, rescuers are racing against time to reach the tunnels before the possibility of finding more survivors diminishes.
