204 foreign workers at hydropower projects remain missing after Bhotekoshi floods, most of them Chinese

Nepalese authorities say 204 foreign workers employed at hydropower projects in Rasuwa and Nuwakot remain out of contact after flooding along the Bhotekoshi River. In total, 898 workers at 12 affected projects have not been accounted for.

The figures come from the Department of Labour and Occupational Safety and cover foreign nationals with valid labour permits. Department spokesperson Maninath Gop said officials had not yet received records for workers whose permits were being renewed or who continued working after paying penalties during the renewal process.

Chinese workers account for the largest number. At the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project, operated by the Power Construction Corporation of China, permits had been issued to 121 Chinese nationals. None had been confirmed in contact, according to department records. About 1,200 people, including Nepali workers, worked at the project, and 557 remain out of contact.

At the same project, 26 foreign nationals employed by Doosan Enerbility held permits. Officials learned that three were on leave, while the remaining 23 had not been contacted. The group includes one South Korean, four Indians, one American and one Canadian.

The department also lacks contact information for 19 foreign workers at the Nilkantha Model Secondary School construction project in Rasuwa, operated by China Jiangsu International Economic and Technical Cooperation. Twelve workers at Salasungi Power Private Limited, operating under China International Water and Energy Corporation, are also out of contact. Eleven Chinese nationals at the Rasuwa Bhotekoshi Hydropower Project under Sinohydro Bureau 7 remain unaccounted for.

Two workers, one Canadian and one American, at a joint venture linked to Upper Trishuli-1 are on the list as well. Six additional foreign workers employed by a Kathmandu-based company that sends staff to Trishuli-area field sites also remain out of contact. Gop said the company had not provided clear information on whether those workers had travelled to the sites.

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Our records show that 204 foreign nationals have work permits. However, we have not yet received records of those whose permits are under process or those working after paying penalties.