Nepal Rescuers Resume Tunnel Drilling to Reach Trapped Hydropower Workers Amid Devastating Floods

Nepali rescuers striving to reach hydropower workers believed trapped in tunnels swamped by flood debris have resumed their work after rain and rising river waters previously hampered efforts. Nepal’s government states that more than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped inside multiple tunnels at hydropower projects, with key rescue efforts focused on the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites.

Massive flash floods, triggered on Wednesday when part of a glacier collapsed near Nepal’s border with Tibet, have left at least 750 people dead and more than 3,000 missing. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reports that there are 933 hydropower workers among the missing.

At Trishuli 3A in Nepal’s Rasuwa District on Saturday evening, army rescue teams utilizing drills broke through into the upper part of a mud-swamped tunnel, beginning to pump air and send in a camera. However, overnight rain and rising river waters hampered operations early on Sunday, filling the excavation area with water before conditions eventually eased.

“As the floodwaters have receded, the team has resumed efforts to locate the tunnel entrance using drilling machines, excavators, hydraulic cutters and other equipment,” stated a Nepal Army release on Sunday.

Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernandez, reporting from the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, noted that the government has requested specialist help from India and China to “fill gaps” in its rescue operations. “The government is trying to give it its best shot, bringing in these experts to see if there is any way or means of bringing out anyone who is still alive,” she said.

The catastrophe on Wednesday was triggered when part of a glacier at approximately 5,200 metres high in the Himalayas collapsed, plunging about 1,200 metres and gathering rock and debris before slamming into the Lende River. The resulting surge swept south through Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts, at one point raising the Trishuli River by nine metres in 30 minutes. The US Geological Survey revised its initial finding of an earthquake trigger, concluding the seismic signal instead came from the landslide itself.

Al Jazeera’s Jessica Washington, reporting from Dhading, stated that the river had receded on Sunday, though the current remained strong. She noted that the floodwaters had destroyed numerous homes, leaving behind only foundations, while those still standing are “in a state of complete disrepair.” She added, “Speaking to some residents, this [disaster] represents not only the destruction of their homes, but their livelihoods as well because many of the residents told us that they had small stores and small businesses in the bottom floors of their homes and all of their products – everything – has been completely washed away.”

Nepal’s National Disaster Management Authority announced on Sunday that 734 bodies had been recovered. The number of missing on the Nepalese side of the border stands at least at 2,498. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities reported that the death toll in Tibet has climbed to 16, with 546 people missing. Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, noted that 261 foreigners from 23 countries are among those unaccounted for.

International aid has arrived from the United Nations, the Red Cross Federation, Australia, India, South Korea and the United States. The US and Canada stated they would provide $3.6m each in humanitarian aid, while the United Kingdom offered $6.8m and the UN released $2.5m in emergency funding. On Friday, the European Union pledged $2.3m, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported it had allocated more than $1m while launching an emergency appeal for $31m.

Al Jazeera’s Samer Allawi reported that authorities “have not yet moved to the second phase of relief operations, which includes humanitarian assistance and reopening roads,” due to “the rugged terrain and the lack of sufficient resources.” He added that Nepal’s finance minister estimated losses from the disaster at “more than $4bn,” as warnings remain in place regarding possible flooding along rivers in northern Nepal.