Marking the eighth day since massive floods struck the Himalayan mountainous region along the Nepal-China border on the 3rd, rescue authorities are focusing their efforts on finding dozens of missing people believed to still be alive while trapped inside hydropower plants.

According to Reuters, Nepalese rescue teams are attempting to search areas including the tunnels of four hydropower plants, where hundreds of employees are estimated to be isolated.

Authorities have particularly concentrated their search capabilities on two of these tunnels, where they believe about 90 employees may be trapped and alive.

Amshu Kiran Shahi, a director at the Nepal Electricity Authority, told Reuters that air remains inside these two tunnels, offering the highest possibility of finding survivors.

He stated that food and water are available within related facilities built as communication and rest areas inside the tunnels, adding, "We are very confident that there are survivors inside the tunnels."

In particular, for the Trishuli 3A power plant, oxygen pipes have been installed, leading to expectations that oxygen is flowing into the tunnels.

Previously, until the day before, rescue teams including the Nepalese military attempted to search around various hydropower plant tunnels, but made little progress, blocked by thick mud, soil, and massive boulders.

However, the previous day, Nepalese Home Minister Sudan Gurung stated that authorities "have not lost hope" of finding survivors.

As of this day, the death toll from the massive floods compiled by the Nepal Disaster Management Authority has increased to at least 1,204.

The death toll on the Chinese side also rose to at least 21, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,225.

The number of missing persons increased to a total of 4,757, including 4,216 in Nepal and 541 in China.

While the casualty figures on the Chinese side had remained unchanged for the past few days, they rose again after Chinese rescue authorities succeeded the previous day in securing land rescue routes leading to the hardest-hit areas of the Gyirong Port in the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region.

According to the Nepal Disaster Management Authority, approximately 1.6 million people, accounting for about 5% of Nepal's total population, have been affected by these massive floods, with some 3,700 households and 14,000 people isolated due to washed-out roads and bridges.

Amid the collapse of the medical system due to the massive floods, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that about 4,430 pregnant women in affected areas, including Rasuwa and Nuwakot, are facing critical difficulties in safely giving birth.

Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated that the government is striving to restore transportation networks, electricity, and communications cut off by the massive floods, noting that communication services in the affected areas had been restored to about 95% by the previous day.

Dispatched at the request of the Nepalese government and arriving locally yesterday, the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) is formulating a search plan today following consultations with the Nepalese military.

(Photo: AFP, Yonhap News)