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🇩🇰 Denmark /Disasters & Emergencies

Nepal Army Battles to Rescue 100 People Trapped in Tunnel

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Nepal's army is working to rescue approximately 100 people trapped in a tunnel near a hydropower plant.
  • The tunnel was inundated by floodwaters from recent devastating floods that hit a mountainous border region between Nepal and Tibet.
  • Rescue efforts are underway, but conditions are risky due to fast-flowing river water, with at least 472 confirmed deaths from the floods.

Rescuers from the Nepalese army are engaged in a critical operation to save around 100 individuals trapped inside a tunnel near a hydropower plant. The tunnel was submerged by floodwaters that surged through a mountainous area on the border of Nepal and Tibet earlier this week.

Raja Ram Basnet, an army spokesperson, confirmed that the immediate focus is on locating and rescuing the trapped individuals. Two helicopters have been deployed to aid the effort, but accessing the tunnel entrances has proven difficult due to the challenging terrain and the rapid flow of river water. So far, approximately 350 people have been successfully evacuated from the tunnel.

Our focus is on finding and rescuing people. Some of them are trapped in the tunnel at the hydropower plant.

— Raja Ram BasnetArmy spokesperson, explaining the rescue priorities.

The rescue operation is described as risky due to the treacherous conditions created by the fast-flowing floodwaters. These devastating floods have already claimed at least 472 lives across Nepal and Tibet, with over 1400 people still missing, including hundreds of foreign tourists. The death toll in Nepal alone has risen to at least 469, according to police reports.

Two helicopters have been sent, but it is difficult as it is hard to locate the tunnel entrances.

— Raja Ram BasnetDescribing the challenges faced by the rescue teams.
About this summary

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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