India team surveys Nepal flood-hit tunnels to speed worker rescue

An Indian technical team surveyed flood-hit hydropower tunnels in Nepal to aid rescues. The mission could accelerate access to trapped workers as Nepal seeks wider foreign support.

In Short

• Flash floods ravaged river corridors, killing hundreds and wrecking transport links
• Security forces have already pulled 191 workers from hydropower tunnels
• Mud, debris and poor weather are slowing access to blocked entrances

An 11-member technical team from India carried out on-site reconnaissance of hydropower tunnels in flood-hit Nepal on Saturday to help speed up search and rescue operations for stranded people. The team, made up of doctors, paramedics and tunnel engineers, had arrived in Kathmandu on Friday.

Nepal has been struggling to reach workers feared trapped inside tunnels after flash floods swept through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people and damaging roads, bridges, settlements and hydropower infrastructure. A large number of workers remain unaccounted for, and rescue efforts are continuing in affected areas.

On Saturday, the Indian team reached Trishuli in Nuwakot district to assist efforts to rescue workers trapped in a tunnel linked to a hydropower project. “Today, a specialised technical team from India carried out on-site reconnaissance of hydropower tunnels in the area affected by the flash flood, which will help in facilitating early search and rescue of stranded individuals,” the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said in a post on X.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the Indian team completed an aerial survey of the Chilime and Langtang areas before beginning the required rescue-related work around the tunnel site. An 82-member joint security team of Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police personnel has been working since Friday night to clear debris and reach people believed to be trapped inside the tunnel. The operation has been complicated by mud and debris blocking the tunnel entrance and by adverse weather.

The Nepal Army said security forces have so far rescued 191 workers from tunnels at various hydropower projects in the country. But reports of more people trapped inside tunnels led Nepali authorities to seek India’s assistance. Many are believed to be trapped inside tunnels linked to the Upper Trishuli-1 and Trishuli-3A hydropower projects in Rasuwa district, near the Nepal-Tibet border, where rescue operations are under way.

Officials also said Nepal has sought foreign expertise for DNA testing, forensic work and other specialised tasks. Kathmandu has also asked India and China to help build 42 Bailey bridges to restore transport services in flood-hit areas. In sum, Nepal is continuing rescue work in the flood-affected hydropower zones while seeking outside support for search operations, forensic work and transport links.

With PTI Inputs

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