Rescue Teams Race to Reach Hundreds Trapped in Nepal Hydropower Projects After Deadly Floods

Rescue Efforts Intensify After Nepal-Tibet Floods

Rescue teams in Nepal are working to reach more than 900 missing hydropower workers, many feared trapped in tunnels and underground areas of 11 hydropower projects, after devastating flash floods swept the region last week, according to Nepal's disaster management authority. The floods have killed at least 987 people in Nepal and 16 in Tibet, bringing the total death toll to 1,003, as reported by ie and the country's disaster authority.

Nearly 5,000 people remain missing across both sides of the border, with Nepal accounting for 3,916 and China 546, according to ie. Among the missing in Nepal are 583 foreign nationals from more than 30 countries, including 275 Indians, 85 US citizens, 62 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 42 Australians, and 33 British citizens. China has reported 261 foreign nationals missing from 23 countries.

Two Irish citizens, 46-year-old Santosh Sahu and 18-year-old Spandan Sahu, are also among the missing in Nepal, as named by the country's Department of Tourism, according to both The Irish Times and ie.

Rescue Operations and Challenges

Rescue efforts are complicated by difficult terrain, persistent high floodwaters, and adverse weather. More than 40 bridges have been destroyed, forcing rescuers to rely on helicopters while India and China send prefabricated truss bridges to restore access, The Irish Times reported. The Trishuli River has continued to change course unpredictably, making planning a challenge, with areas that were dry one day flooded the next.

Nepali rescuers have built temporary bridges and dug through the ruins of hydropower projects to rescue close to 300 trapped workers, with about 600 still stuck in several devastated stations, according to ie. Prime Minister Balendra Shah said over 11,000 people have been rescued across the affected region, and power and communication lines have been restored in some areas. The Irish Times noted that about 250 people were rescued from the Upper Trishuli hydroelectric project over the weekend, and army engineers began blasting operations to rescue another 42 workers.

Authorities estimate that close to 1,000 workers remain trapped in hydropower tunnels, with at least eight believed missing at the Chilime hydropower plant in Rasuwa, The Irish Times reported. Hundreds of bodies, many unidentified, have been buried in shallow graves on the plains after DNA testing, as the torrent swept them down the mountains.

International Response and Cause

The floods were triggered by a glacier collapse, according to ie. China's state broadcaster CCTV reported that the flood was caused by glacier instability under the long-term effects of global warming, as cited by both The Irish Times and ie. Prime Minister Shah said the event signals growing risks and called for raising climate change disasters internationally, ie reported.

India and China are helping with rescue efforts, including building bailey bridges, according to ie. Nepal's disaster agency said on Monday that 903 deaths had been counted, while Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths as of Sunday, The Irish Times reported. In India's Uttar Pradesh state, authorities recovered 17 bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, believed to be flood victims, though they are not included in the toll, ie reported.

Rescue operations continue as the focus remains on reaching those still trapped and providing aid to the thousands affected, with The Irish Times noting that more than 93,000 people have been impacted by the disaster, according to the Red Cross.