Nepal Focuses All-Out Efforts to Rescue Estimated 900 Missing at Six Power Plants

▲ Workers use an excavator to clear soil from a road damaged by a landslide.

On the 31st, local time, the sixth day since massive floods struck the Himalayan mountainous region along the Nepal-China border, Nepali authorities were making all-out efforts to rescue up to an estimated 900 missing people believed to be trapped inside the tunnels of hydroelectric power plants in the affected areas.

The Nepal Disaster Management Authority stated that day that an estimated minimum of 933 workers were trapped inside tunnels at approximately six hydroelectric power plant sites across Nepal due to the massive floods.

Consequently, rescue operations are focusing on gaining access to the tunnels of these facilities, including the Trishuli 3A and 3B hydroelectric power plants in Bagmati Province, central Nepal.

Among them, at the Trishuli 3A plant, rescue workers successfully drilled four holes into the upper part of the tunnel the previous day to access the interior, and are currently working to check the locations and conditions of those trapped inside.

Photos and videos shared by rescue teams showed heavy machinery digging out and clearing mud and rocks while rescue workers, including the Nepali army and police, entered pits trying to find space to breach the tunnel.

Raja Ram Basnet, a spokesperson for the Nepali Army, told Reuters, "We are facing immense difficulties in opening the tunnel due to the enormous amount of debris piled up," adding, "Our primary objective is to open the tunnel."

Narendra Pariyar, the chief administrator of Rasuwa, the hardest-hit area, stated that rescue operations gained momentum as the weather improved that day.

The Nepali Army announced that rescue teams recovered a body from the tunnel of the Upper Trishuli-1 power plant, where nine missing South Korean nationals had been working.

The military explained that a Chinese tunnel rescue team participating in the Nepali rescue operations penetrated about 300 meters into the tunnel and conducted search operations to find the body.

However, identifying information regarding the victim, such as nationality, has not yet been confirmed.

Regarding this, an official from South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "We are verifying (information related to identity) through the local diplomatic mission."

This power plant, which was being constructed by Korea Southern Power and Doosan Enerbility, is where the nine missing South Koreans worked.

That day, Doosan Enerbility dispatched a helicopter to the Upper Trishuli-1 power plant to search by flying over the office building and the upper weir dam where the missing South Koreans were located.

Surendra Dhauluri (33), an Indian worker who was rescued on the 29th after working at the Upper Trishuli-1 power plant, told AFP that at the time of the flood, "I heard a very loud noise, and I saw six workers get trapped inside as the turbine room floor was submerged in water mixed with mud and ice."

He added that some workers evacuated to high ground or construction areas out of reach of the rushing water, saying, "We rescued five of them, but one person died."

According to the Nepal Disaster Management Authority, as of that day, flood deaths in Nepal rose to at least 903, with 4,247 people missing, including 592 foreigners.

Combined with the 16 deaths and 546 missing persons (including 261 foreigners) in China's Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region as compiled by Chinese authorities, the total death toll from these floods reaches at least 919, with 4,793 missing.

Authorities in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, bordering Nepal, announced that they have recovered 17 bodies suspected to be flood victims in areas such as the Gandak River, downstream from Nepal's flooded Trishuli River.

Indian authorities are verifying the identities of these bodies, and they have not yet been included in the official death toll compiled by Nepali authorities.

Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal stated on Facebook, "Our country is facing a heartbreaking natural disaster beyond imagination," adding, "It is extremely difficult to fully grasp the scale of damage to lives, property, and infrastructure."

He further stated, "Although this (rescue and recovery) mission faces difficulties due to bad weather, rugged terrain, and ongoing risks, we will move forward with the determination to protect the lives of our citizens."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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