- International teams are using drones and life-detection tools to search Rasuwa's flood-hit hydropower tunnels for dozens of workers still trapped underground.
- While 279 people have been rescued, approximately 46 workers remain missing inside the Rasuwagadhi project amid deep mud and dangerous debris.
- Rescuers face a race against time, though clearing some heavily blocked tunnels could take months due to unstable structures and extreme conditions.
Rasuwa, Nepal: Nearly a week after a flash flood swept through the Bhotekoshi area of Rasuwa, rescue teams are still searching inside hydropower tunnels for workers who are believed to be trapped underground.
Rescue teams from Nepal, India, China, and South Korea are involved in the search. They are using excavators, pumps, search dogs, drones, thermal cameras, life-detection equipment, and other tools to clear mud, rocks, and other debris from the tunnels.
The search has been difficult because large amounts of mud and water have entered the tunnels. In some places, rescuers have been able to move forward only a short distance. Damaged structures inside the tunnels have also made the work dangerous.
According to Amhsu Kiran Shahi, a board member of the Nepal Electricity Authority, about 46 people are believed to be trapped inside a tunnel at the Rasuwagadhi Hydroelectric Project.
Officials say the workers may have been inside a room-like area when the flood entered the project. They believe there may have been some food and water available in the area, raising the possibility that some workers could still be alive.
Search for Signs of Life
Rescuers are trying to determine whether anyone is still alive before they can reach the areas blocked by debris.
Audio and video equipment, search dogs, drones, thermal cameras, and life-detection devices are being used to look for signs of people inside the tunnels. These systems can help rescuers detect movement, sound, or body heat in places that cannot yet be reached safely.
However, detecting someone through several metres of mud, rocks, concrete, and water is difficult. Wet and enclosed tunnel conditions can also reduce the effectiveness of some equipment. The noise from pumps and heavy machinery can make it harder to identify sounds coming from trapped workers.
Rescue officials therefore face two tasks at the same time: finding possible survivors and safely clearing the tunnels to reach them.
Tunnel Clearance Could Take Months
Officials have said that clearing some of the damaged tunnels could take three to four months because of the amount of mud and debris inside.
For families waiting for information about missing relatives, that is a long time. If people are still trapped underground, their chances of survival will depend on whether they have enough air and water, whether they are injured, and whether the space where they are trapped remains stable.
This is why rescue teams are also looking for ways to identify possible survivors without waiting for the entire tunnel to be cleared.
Other Ways to Reach Trapped Workers
Rescue specialists may consider creating smaller access points to suspected areas where workers could be trapped. Cameras, boreholes, acoustic equipment, and remotely operated devices could help determine what is behind the blocked sections.
Such methods would need to be used carefully. Drilling, excavation, or other work could cause additional movement of the surrounding rocks or tunnel structure and could put trapped workers and rescuers at risk.
Rescue teams therefore have to balance speed with safety while deciding how to reach the affected areas.
279 People Rescued
Authorities say 279 people have so far been rescued from hydropower projects affected by the flood. Many others remain unaccounted for, and some are believed to be inside tunnels.
Search operations are continuing at tunnels linked to the Langtang, Chilime, Upper Trishuli-3A, Trishuli-3B, and Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower projects.
At the Langtang Hydropower Project, a 25-member joint rescue team, including Indian tunnel-rescue specialists, has entered about 150 metres into the tunnel. Mud, rocks, and other debris have slowed the team.
At the Chilime project, Indian specialists are working with the Nepali Army. At Upper Trishuli-3A, rescuers are using excavators, Bobcats, compressors, breakers, and pumps to remove debris. Water is reported to be about 1.5 metres deep in some sections.
Families Are Waiting for Answers
Outside the affected projects, families of missing workers are waiting for information from the rescue teams. For them, the main concern is whether their relatives can still be found and brought out safely.
They also want to know whether all available equipment and rescue expertise are being used to search the tunnels.
The rescue operation is continuing, but the conditions inside the tunnels remain difficult. Clearing the debris may take a long time, while finding possible survivors requires rescuers to search the blocked sections as quickly and carefully as possible.
Until the affected areas are reached and properly searched, authorities cannot know with certainty whether any of the missing workers are still alive.
For the families waiting outside, the search remains the only source of hope and information about what happened to their loved ones.
