Rescue teams are in a race to reach numerous workers believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels in Nepal’s mountains. This effort offers a glimmer of hope in locating survivors a week after a Himalayan flood claimed over 1,200 lives.
The catastrophic flood, instigated by a glacier collapse near Nepal’s border with China, brought devastation to towns and valleys in the mountainous region. The confirmed death toll stands at 1,204, with more than 4,200 individuals still missing.
Focusing on hydroelectric project tunnels, rescue operations are intensifying as authorities suspect that workers may have survived being isolated by floodwaters and debris. Some tunnels are equipped with chambers containing air supplies, giving rescuers optimism in their quest to locate around 900 missing workers.
Amshu Kiran Shahi, a Nepal Electricity Authority board member, expressed confidence in the presence of survivors within the tunnels due to the availability of food and water in these structures. While the prospect of finding survivors elsewhere diminishes, the relentless rescue operations persist as teams scour the mountainside along the Chinese border, where the floods wreaked havoc on towns and valleys.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah affirmed the government’s commitment to continuing the search and rescue operations to find missing individuals and support those affected. Major rescue endeavors are underway at tunnels in four projects, with two projects holding nearly 100 missing persons and offering the best chances of finding survivors due to the presence of air inside.
At Trishuli-3A, one of the projects, officials believe there is a dry space within the tunnel with expected oxygen flow, utilizing pipes to facilitate oxygen supply. Specialized rescue teams from India, China, and the United States are actively engaged in the tunnel rescue missions.
On the Tibetan side of the border, China’s official toll has risen to at least 21 dead and 541 missing. The reopening of the road to the Gyirong border crossing has enabled heavy machinery to access the core disaster area for the first time.
In Tibet, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showcased the deployment of excavators, rescue teams, search dogs, and life-detection equipment in a narrow mountain gorge, where challenging conditions have impeded operations. Focus is on structures like inspection buildings, parking lots, and dormitories in the leveled area as rescuers conduct a thorough search for survivors.
China’s list of missing individuals includes Nepali citizens, Indians, and Latvians, with efforts underway to send more DNA identification experts and emergency supplies to Nepal for relief work. Meanwhile, residents in Nepal’s affected regions are salvaging what remains of their belongings amid the devastation.
Children in the Nuwakot and Rasuwa areas are displaying signs of psychological distress after witnessing the flood’s fury, with Save the Children highlighting the children’s fears and anxieties. Efforts are being made to provide mental health and educational support to alleviate the trauma experienced by the affected children.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Shah mentioned that the government, with foreign aid, is restoring telecommunication, power supply, and transport links through Bailey bridges, with telecom services in the affected areas mostly reinstated. The disaster has disrupted 431 megawatts of electricity generation capacity, with the Prime Minister emphasizing the heroic efforts of security personnel in warning and aiding local residents during the calamity.