Hopes fade as Nepal flood rescuers reach blocked tunnels

Hopes of finding survivors inside Nepal’s hydropower tunnels faded after rescue teams reached blocked passages a week after devastating floods. No one had been found alive.

Authorities initially said they believed more than 100 workers could still be alive inside several tunnels. The workers were among 639 hydropower employees reported missing since a mudslide struck on Aug. 26, according to Nepal’s Civil Protection and Disaster Management Authority.

“

Search and rescue operations are still ongoing, and foreign teams are also assisting at the hydropower tunnels. They are continuing their work despite the difficulties. There is a large amount of mud, debris and sludge.

“Search and rescue operations are still ongoing, and foreign teams are also assisting at the hydropower tunnels,” authority spokeswoman Shanti Mahat said. “They are continuing their work despite the difficulties. There is a large amount of mud, debris and sludge.”

“

In some cases it has been difficult to find the entrances, and even when they have been found, rescue teams have encountered blocked tunnels.

Rescue teams pulled at least three bodies from two tunnels on Monday. They managed to advance several hundred meters into some passages before mud forced them to turn back. In other cases, teams struggled even to locate the entrances. “We have access to all the tunnels, but it is difficult to enter because they are full of rocks and mud,” Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha told reporters.

Families meanwhile held funerals for flood victims whose bodies had not yet been recovered. The search continued with assistance from foreign teams, but the blocked tunnels sharply reduced hopes of finding survivors.

“

We have access to all the tunnels, but it is difficult to enter because they are full of rocks and mud.