Nepal floods: 93 still missing as search ends at Rasuwagadhi Hydropower tunnel; where are they?
The search for missing workers at Nepal's Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project tunnel has ended, with 93 individuals still unaccounted for
The search for missing workers at Nepal's Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project tunnel has ended without success, with 93 individuals still unaccounted for. The Nepal Army conducted a deep probe within the tunnel but found no signs of survivors or casualties. The flood disaster has impacted critical infrastructure, and international assistance is aiding ongoing rescue efforts across multiple affected hydropower sites in the region.
The search for missing workers at Nepal's Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project tunnel has ended without success, with 93 individuals still unaccounted for. The Nepal Army conducted a deep probe within the tunnel but found no signs of survivors or casualties. The flood disaster has impacted critical infrastructure, and international assistance is aiding ongoing rescue efforts across multiple affected hydropower sites in the region.
The search for missing workers at Nepal's Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project tunnel has ended without success, with 93 individuals still unaccounted for. The Nepal Army conducted a deep probe within the tunnel but found no signs of survivors or casualties. The flood disaster has impacted critical infrastructure, and international assistance is aiding ongoing rescue efforts across multiple affected hydropower sites in the region.
Nepal floods: 93 still missing as search ends at Rasuwagadhi Hydropower tunnel; 3 inside project also untraced
A search operation inside a tunnel at the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project in Rasuwa ended on Monday with the Nepal Army saying they found no survivors or bodies inside
The 250-meter tunnel was searched to a depth of 225 meters using drones. The team withdrew after no bodies or survivors were seen.
“The rescue team led by the Nepali Army has returned after searching the tunnel of the 111-MW flood-affected project in Rasuwa and finding no people inside,” the Prime Minister’s Secretariat said on Monday.
According to project engineer Tika Poudel, about 93 workers associated with the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower project remain missing since the disaster. The missing include project chief Santosh Adhikari, 51 employees and 42 workers.
Only three persons, however, were reportedly inside the tunnel during the time the flood struck.
The remaining missing staff may have been staying at the project’s residential quarters in Timure when the flood struck suddenly before office hours, Poudel said.
The whereabouts of the three employees, Kishor Neupane of Palpa, Santosh Paudel of Pyuthan and Chhiring Tamang of Rasuwa. who were reportedly on duty at the time of the flood, still remain unknown. It has not been established if the three workers managed to leave the tunnel before or during the flood or whether they moved to another part of the project.
The power plant was operating at the time, with employees working in two shifts: from 7am to 7pm and from 7pm to 7am.
“There were three people inside the tunnel, and around 14 to 15 people in total outside,” an official told OnlineKhabar. Those working outside included two cleaning workers, two guards, two cooks and an engineer, in addition to employees assigned to the night shift.
According to the project, an additional 35 workers from Sherpa Hydro Construction, four from CWE and three from Venus Construction are also missing.
The flood has also trapped six people in the project’s underground desander, of whom four managed to escape after spending two days being trapped.
They were rescued by Nepal Army helicopters and brought to Kathmandu.
Search and rescue operations across the 11 hydropower projects affected by the flood in Rasuwa and Nuwakot are ongoing.
Indian and Chinese tunnel specialists assisted the operation at the request og the Nepal government.
Seven Indian and 15 Chinese nationals stranded at hydropower projects were rescued on Sunday.
The Indian embassy said that it was continuing to search the tunnel at the sites affected by the deluge. “The tunnel rescue team fromm India worked with the Nepali Ary's team to conduct search and rescue operations at hydropower tunnel sites in the Chilime and Langtang areas today,” the embassy said on Monday.
The Indian personnel will continue working in coordination with the Nepali Army as efforts to trace missing hydropower workers proceed across the affected region, it added.