Rescue crews in Nepal are racing against time to find hundreds of missing workers feared trapped inside hydropower tunnels damaged by flooding. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
The flooding has killed more than 1,000 people across Nepal and China. At least 900 workers are missing from hydropower projects, with about 500 believed to be inside tunnels, according to officials and industry representatives.
Access to the tunnels has been hampered by flooding, debris and damaged infrastructure. Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, a Nepal Army spokesperson, said teams assisted by foreign experts were working at several hydropower projects. Army footage showed rescuers entering dark, debris-filled tunnels, wading through mud and climbing over rocks as they searched for the missing.
Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal, said floods damaged at least 12 hydropower projects in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, with a combined capacity of 670 MW. Four were under construction, seven operational and one in testing phase, he said.
Hydropower projects undergo risk assessments and other studies before construction, but Dangi called the Aug. 26 flooding "something unimaginable."
The biggest challenge for rescuers is reaching them. Many of Nepal's hydropower projects are in remote, mountainous areas where steep terrain and narrow roads can make access difficult. Flooding has worsened conditions, damaging roads and limiting routes to some sites.