Nepal Continues Search 11 Days After Flood as More Survivors Are Rescued

Nepal continued searching through tunnels and debris on Saturday, 11 days after a flood devastated the country’s north. New rescues in recent hours have kept alive the possibility of finding more people alive, even as hundreds of workers remain missing at hydroelectric projects swept by water and mud.

Interior Minister Sudhan Gurung said the discoveries had brought “a ray of hope” and pledged that crews would continue working inside the tunnels. Specialists from India, China and South Korea are supporting the operation, according to the latest updates from Nepal’s government.

A Chinese citizen was rescued from a tunnel at Upper Trishuli-1 in Rasuwa in a joint operation involving the Nepalese Army and a South Korean team. The rescue came one day after two other workers were found alive at Upper Trishuli 3A, where they had been trapped since Aug. 26.

Upper Trishuli-1 has become one of the largest search sites. More than 1,400 people linked to the project were there when the disaster struck. The project operator says 557 remain unaccounted for, while about 115 may be trapped near the dam and main tunnel. Crews are using pumps, drones, sniffer dogs and heavy machinery, but destroyed roads and bridges, along with thick deposits of mud and debris, continue to restrict access.

The operation is entering its second week, with rescuers in some areas forced to advance underground meter by meter. Police said the search also continued in Rasuwa and Nuwakot and along the Trishuli corridor, where ground teams and helicopters are looking for missing people, evacuating those affected and delivering supplies to communities cut off by the destruction of roads and bridges.

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A ray of hope