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Nepal flood rescue teams keep searching as expert says people can survive underground for much longer

From Süddeutsche Zeitung · () German

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

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • Nearly two weeks after flash floods struck Nepal's Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river valleys, 1,355 people have been recorded dead and 4,996 remain missing, according to disaster authorities.
  • Rescuers have pulled several survivors from buried homes and hydropower tunnels, including a 64-year-old woman found alive eight days after her family had begun funeral rites.
  • Authorities believe about 1,000 people may still be trapped in hydropower tunnels, while Australian tunnel expert Arnold Dix says it is too early to abandon the search.

Nearly two weeks after a flash flood tore through Nepal's Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river valleys, the disaster is still unfolding in the minds of survivors, especially children. Save the Children said children in emergency shelters were reporting anxiety and sleep problems.

Sixteen-year-old Samiksha Dangol, from Nuwakot, has been missing her sister, brother and two aunts since Aug. 26. “I try to forget. But I keep thinking about my siblings. About the things we did together,” she told the Kathmandu Post. UNICEF estimates that 17,000 children have been affected.

Rescue workers continue searching for survivors, with the hope that they may still return parents and siblings to children waiting in shelters. Authorities in Kathmandu had registered 1,355 deaths by Monday, while 4,996 people remained missing. The hope of their families is fading, but some rescues have defied expectations.

I try to forget. But I keep thinking about my siblings. About the things we did together.

· Samiksha DangolThe 16-year-old student described the continuing grief caused by the disappearance of her siblings and aunts.

On the eighth day after the flood, relatives of 64-year-old Chandika Shrestha no longer believed she would survive. Her sons made a figure from kusha grass according to Hindu custom, burned it in a funeral ceremony and began the mourning period. Three days later, rescuers pulled Shrestha alive from her buried home in Betrawati village.

Australian geologist Arnold Dix, a tunnel specialist, is in Nepal to help extract people from buried hydropower tunnels. Two workers at the Trishuli-3A hydropower plant were brought into daylight after nine days underground, and Nepalese soldiers and South Korean specialists later rescued a Chinese worker from the Upper Trishuli-I project. Authorities nevertheless suspect that 1,000 people remain in tunnels across several hydropower sites. Dix wrote on LinkedIn that the operation was “like 23 Silkyaras at the same time”, with several potential rescues unfolding simultaneously in different places.

Like 23 Silkyaras at the same time

· Arnold DixThe Australian tunnel expert compared the scale of simultaneous rescue operations in Nepal with the 2023 Silkyara tunnel rescue in India.
About this summary

Originally published by Süddeutsche Zeitung in German. 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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