Nepal floods: Rescue teams clear 70 metres of tunnel debris, near trapped workers

Rescue operations are intensifying at Nepal’s Chilime hydropower project, where six workers are believed to be trapped inside a tunnel, as Indian and Nepali teams use heavy machinery to clear mud and debris and reach an underground powerhouse.

The rescue effort gained momentum after an excavator, loader and Bobcat were brought inside the tunnel. Indian ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said on Saturday that rescue teams had cleared about 70 metres of additional debris, allowing them to move closer to the trapped workers.

According to the project manager, the underground powerhouse is located roughly 60 metres farther along the tunnel. Rescue teams were expected to continue operations through the night in an effort to reach the area where the workers are believed to be trapped.

The Border Roads Organisation has also prepared the approach road to the rescue site, authorities said, helping facilitate the movement of heavy rescue equipment.

Separately, the Nepal Army said it had constructed more than one kilometre of access road from Syafrubesi towards the Chilime tunnel, allowing rescue machinery and personnel to get closer to the affected area.

Nepal Army personnel and Indian rescue teams are working jointly inside the Chilime tunnel, according to local media reports.

Rescue operations are also continuing at the Upper Trishuli-3B hydropower project, another site affected by the disaster.

The Nepal Army has deployed more than 100 personnel to the project, with teams continuing search-and-rescue operations, according to local reports.

At Chilime, however, authorities have not publicly confirmed that rescuers have established contact with the six missing workers. Reports that teams found a pocket of air near the area where the workers are believed to be trapped have raised hopes, but officials have not confirmed whether the workers are alive or whether communication has been established.

The rescue operation follows devastating floods triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on 26 August.

The resulting floodwaters surged into northern and central parts of Nepal, destroying homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and severely damaging several hydropower projects.

The Bhotekoshi River carried the floodwaters downstream from the Himalayan border region, worsening destruction in communities along its course.

Nearly 1,400 people have been killed, while more than 5,000 remain missing, according to the figures cited in the reports.

The disaster has also created a complex rescue challenge around Nepal's hydropower infrastructure. Around 100 people are believed to be trapped in nearly a dozen tunnels associated with hydropower projects in flood-affected areas.

With access routes damaged and tunnels filled with mud and debris, rescue teams are relying heavily on machinery to clear passages and reach potentially isolated workers.

At Chilime, the focus remains on clearing the final stretch of the tunnel and reaching the underground powerhouse, where six workers are believed to be trapped. Rescue teams are continuing the operation as authorities work against time to determine the workers' fate.

With PTI inputs