Nepal Rescuers See Possible Survival Chance for 90 People in Two Hydropower Tunnels

Nepalese rescuers are concentrating on two hydropower tunnels where about 90 missing people could still be alive, eight days after major landslides and floods struck the country.

Amshu Kiran Shahi, a director at the Nepal Electricity Authority, told Reuters on the 2nd that air may remain inside two collapsed tunnels. The locations contain spaces built for communications and rest, and rescuers believe food and water may also be present. “We are very confident that there will be survivors there,” Shahi said, identifying the two tunnels as the places with the strongest remaining possibility of finding people alive.

Large-scale rescue operations are under way at four hydropower plants in northern Nepal. At the Trishuli-3A plant, rescuers reportedly found a dry, moisture-free space inside a tunnel. They also believe oxygen is flowing after an effort to pump air into the tunnel through pipes succeeded.

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We are very confident that there will be survivors there.

The search has yet to produce results. Thick mud, massive deposits of earth and rocks have blocked access around the tunnels, making it difficult even for rescue workers to reach the sites. Unmanned drones have been used in some locations to enter dangerous areas first. Specialist teams from India, China and the United States are taking part in the search.

Nepalese authorities have continued the operation despite the shrinking chances of survival. Prime Minister Balendra Shah told parliament, “Our top priority is to continue the search and rescue operation.” A South Korean joint rapid-response team and the Korea Disaster Relief Team have also searched around Lamche and Dhunche in the Rasuwa region for nine missing South Koreans, but reported no unusual findings. Nepal’s disaster agency said about 1.6 million people had been affected. Authorities reported 1,222 deaths and 4,875 missing people in Nepal, while Chinese state media reported 21 deaths and 541 missing in Tibet. More than 800 foreigners from about 30 countries are among the missing.

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Our top priority is to continue the search and rescue operation.