Nepal steps up search for 121 people in hydropower tunnels

Nearly two weeks after the devastating Aug. 26 flood, Nepal's Army has made tunnels at several hydropower plants a priority in the search for about 121 people who may still be trapped underground.

The Army has sent more personnel and machinery to the Rasuwagadhi, Trishuli-3A, Trishuli-3B, Chilime and Upper Trishuli-1 projects. Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet, an Army spokesman, said teams had worked in the tunnels since the first day but were now receiving additional resources and priority.

The Army believes about 121 people may have entered the tunnels before the flood destroyed the facilities. That estimate narrows the number considerably from the nearly 900 people connected to hydropower projects who were initially listed as missing. Basnet stressed that the earlier figure did not mean all of them were trapped underground, as some workers may have been caught by floodwaters outside the galleries.

The tunnels have become a focus because they produced some of the disaster's latest rescues. Two workers were pulled alive from Trishuli-3A after spending nine days underground, and a Chinese national was rescued the next day from Upper Trishuli-1.

Australian underground-rescue expert Arnold Dix, who is taking part in the operations, said the conditions make the searches different from surface rescue efforts. Most of the tunnels have not collapsed. They remain structurally sound but are filled with rocks, mud and water, potentially leaving protected spaces with breathable air, relatively stable temperatures and room for people to shelter.

At Trishuli-3B, soldiers entered and left the gallery without finding anyone and are now trying to remove enough material for an excavator to enter. At Chilime, foreign specialists are using a mini-excavator and pumps, while another excavator is being transported by air. Teams have used thermal cameras at Upper Trishuli-1, and soldiers and project workers at Rasuwagadhi have reached the powerhouse and control room.

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The work has been carried out in the tunnels of all the projects since the first day. However, we have now mobilized more personnel and given them priority.