More than a week after flash floods struck Nepal, authorities say they remain confident that dozens of workers trapped in an underground chamber at the Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant could still be alive.
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Key facts
- About 46 people are believed to be trapped in a 'room-like' structure inside a hydro plant tunnel on the Nepal-Tibet border.
- Authorities said they are 'confident' the trapped workers are still alive more than a week after the floods.
- At least 639 workers remain missing from hydropower plants along Nepal's Bhote Koshi and Triushuli rivers.
- The Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant is located on the Nepal-Tibet border.
Nepal authorities have said they are “confident” that dozens of workers trapped in the country’s Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant are still alive, more than a week after deadly flash floods left them stranded in an underground chamber, according to the Guardian.
About 46 people are believed to be trapped in a “room-like” structure inside the hydro plant tunnel on the Nepal-Tibet border. The scale of the disaster extends well beyond this single site, with authorities reporting that at least 639 workers were still missing from hydropower plants built along Nepal’s Bhote Koshi and Triushuli rivers.
The flash floods, described among Nepal’s worst-hit districts, have caused human suffering on what the Guardian characterised as an unfathomable scale. Search and rescue efforts have continued in the affected areas as officials work to locate those still unaccounted for.
The Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant sits on the border between Nepal and Tibet, a region where several hydropower projects have been constructed along major river systems. The concentration of workers at these sites has left a large number of people missing following the flooding.
Officials’ confidence that the trapped workers may still be alive offers a measure of hope more than a week into the ordeal, though the source did not provide details on rescue operations or the condition of those believed to be inside the chamber.
Why it matters
The disaster highlights the risks faced by workers at hydropower projects in flood-prone mountain regions of Nepal. With hundreds still missing, the scale of the tragedy underscores the human cost of extreme flooding events in the Himalayas.
Frequently asked questions
How many workers are trapped at the Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant?
About 46 people are believed to be trapped in a 'room-like' structure inside the hydro plant tunnel on the Nepal-Tibet border, according to the Guardian.
How many workers are missing overall?
Authorities said at least 639 workers were still missing from hydropower plants built along Nepal's Bhote Koshi and Triushuli rivers.
Do officials believe the trapped workers are still alive?
Nepal authorities said they are 'confident' the trapped workers are still alive more than a week after the flash floods.
Timeline
- Moment two workers are pulled alive from Nepal tunnel
Al Jazeera: Rescuers pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal
- Nepal rescuers try to reach dozens trapped in tunnel after two found alive
BBC World: More than 1,300 people have died and thousands are missing, but rescuers' hopes have risen after finding survivors in a tunnel.
- 2 trapped workers rescued from a hydropower tunnel 9 days after Nepal floods
NPR News: Officials say rescuers in Nepal have pulled two workers alive from a tunnel Friday during an ongoing operation. The rescues come nine days after the Aug. 26 floods.
- Dozens of trapped hydropower tunnel workers in Nepal could still be alive, official says
The Guardian World: About 46 people believed to be trapped in ‘room-like’ structure inside hydro plant tunnel on Nepal-Tibet border After the flood: human suffering on an unfathomable scale in Nepal’s worst-hit districts Nepal authorities have said they are “confident” that dozens of workers in Nepa