At least 933 workers remain trapped or unaccounted for across approximately six hydropower project sites in Nepal following last week's catastrophic flash floods, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) reported on Monday.
Rescue operations have intensified across the severely impacted northern districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot as emergency teams race to locate survivors buried inside submerged or mud-choked project tunnels.
The disaster was triggered when a high-altitude glacier collapsed, sending a massive surge of water, rocks, and thick debris down the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river valleys. The violent torrent damaged critical infrastructure, swept away bridges, severed primary road access, and cut off telecommunications, leaving several remote energy sites completely isolated.
Emergency efforts are concentrating heavily on major facilities along the river system:
* Upper Trishuli-1 (216 MW): Hundreds of personnel were initially trapped within the tunnel network. While local and international teams have rescued dozens of workers, scores remain uncontacted.
* Upper Trishuli-3A (60 MW): Rescue crews located the buried tunnel entrance head and used heavy machinery to drill ventilation holes, deploying technical cameras and oxygen lines to locate survivors trapped behind dense mud blockages.
* Chilime Hydropower (22 MW): Specialist mountaineering and rescue teams dispatched via helicopter penetrated the site but were forced to halt after encountering tunnels completely sealed by debris.
* Rasuwagadi and Upper Trishuli-3B: Search operations continue for missing maintenance staff and construction crews, including several foreign engineers and technicians from China, South Korea, and India.
The Nepalese Army has deployed over 8,500 personnel alongside armed police forces, utilizing heavy equipment airlifted directly to the affected project sites. Specialist tunnel rescue engineering teams and medical personnel from India and China have also been integrated into local search operations to assist with complex sub-surface excavations.
The broader death toll from the Himalayan disaster has surpassed 790 in Nepal, with thousands more reported missing or displaced across both Nepal and China's neighboring Tibet region. Disaster authorities warned that recovery efforts inside the flooded tunnels remain precarious due to persistent rainfall, ongoing landslide risks, and unstable ground conditions.
