Nepal flood rescue intensifies as 537 remain missing in hydropower tunnels

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Aug 30, 2026 16:14 IST

Rescue teams in Nepal were on Saturday intensifying efforts to reach hundreds of workers and employees believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels in the flood-hit districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot. According to the Independent Power Producers' Association in Nepal (IPPAN), 537 people remained unaccounted for at nine hydropower projects after the August 26 floods.

IPPAN said 898 workers and employees at the nine projects were initially reported out of contact, and 361 of them have since been rescued. Rescue work has been slowed by mud and debris blocking tunnel entrances, damaged infrastructure, difficult terrain and adverse weather, leading Nepal to seek specialised help from India, China and other countries.

The most serious situation is at the 216 MW Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa, where 300 people are still believed to be trapped inside the tunnel, according to local media reports citing IPPAN. At the 60 MW Upper Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project in Nuwakot, some progress has been made after the tunnel entrance was buried under mud and debris.

The Nepal News web portal reported that the Nepali Army dismantled excavators and bulldozers and airlifted them by helicopter to Battar in Nuwakot to improve access to the flood-hit project site. Army officials said joint rescue teams were working round the clock and that operations were nearing a critical breakthrough at the tunnel entry point. A separate report said rescuers had identified the crown, or upper section, of the buried tunnel and had begun sending a camera and oxygen through a drilled opening to assess conditions inside.

At the 22 MW Chilime Hydropower Project, IPPAN said eight people remained out of contact, while project officials said six employees were believed to be trapped inside a tunnel. Project CEO Baburaja Maharjan told OnlineKhabar that a mountaineering rescue team flown to the site by Simrik Air on Saturday entered the tunnel but could move only about 100 metres before finding it completely blocked by mud. He said a specialised operation with suitable equipment would be needed to clear the blockage and reach those trapped.

support has also been deployed for the tunnel rescue effort. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said an 11-member Indian technical team of doctors, paramedics and tunnel engineers carried out on-site reconnaissance of hydropower tunnels in the flood-affected area on Saturday. The team arrived in Kathmandu on Friday and reached Trishuli in Nuwakot on Saturday. According to Nepalese authorities and the embassy, it also carried out an aerial survey of the Chilime and Langtang areas before assessing the sites for rescue operations. The Kathmandu Post reported that the Indian team was flown to Chilime and Langtang in coordination with the Nepali Army and the Armed Police Force.

The report said Nepal has also allowed Chinese and South Korean teams to assist with specialised rescue efforts. A six-member Chinese tunnel expert team has arrived in Nepal to support the rescue work. China Railway is carrying out civil construction work at the project and the experts arrived in coordination with the company. The Chinese team has been deployed separately to assist at the Upper Trishuli-3B Hydropower Project. The Himalayan Times reported that the experts reached the Trishuli area by helicopter and were coordinating with a Nepali Army technical team to assess the tunnel and determine whether rescue operations were feasible. Overall, rescue efforts continued across the affected projects as teams worked to reach those still unaccounted for in the flood-hit districts.

With PTI Inputs

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