Nepal Races to Find 933 Missing Hydel Workers
Rescue teams in Nepal have intensified efforts to reach workers feared trapped inside flood-hit hydropower tunnels, with official estimates indicating that as many as 933 employees remain unaccounted for. Operations are focused on the Upper Trishuli-3A project, where rescuers have located the tunnel’s crown head.
Upper Trishuli-3A Tunnel Head Located
Nepal Army-led teams have begun widening an opening at the Upper Trishuli-3A hydropower project to allow rescuers equipped with oxygen cylinders and specialist equipment to enter.
The breakthrough has raised hopes that some workers could still be alive inside sections of the tunnel protected from the initial flood surge.
Rescuers are racing against time as mud, rocks and debris continue to block access to underground work areas.
Up to 933 Hydropower Workers Unaccounted For
Figures on missing hydropower workers vary between agencies. Nepal’s disaster management authority has listed 933 workers as untraced across affected projects, while the Independent Power Producers’ Association has put the number at 537 across nine sites.
Authorities are continuing to reconcile staff records as communications remain disrupted and some workers initially listed as missing are located elsewhere.
The disaster affected several hydropower projects across Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts.
Nepal Flood Rescue Enters Critical Phase
The combined death toll in Nepal and Tibet had reached at least 810 by Sunday, including 794 deaths in Nepal and 16 reported in Tibet. More than 3,000 people remained unaccounted for across the wider disaster zone.
Indian, Chinese and other specialist teams are assisting Nepal with tunnel rescue, medical support and technical expertise.
Heavy rain, rising river levels and unstable terrain continue to complicate rescue operations, while authorities remain alert to the possibility of secondary floods and landslides.
