Nepalese Rescuers Use Explosives in Effort to Reach Trapped Hydropower Workers

Rescue personnel in Nepal have deployed explosives to blast into a hillside in an effort to reach more than 600 workers believed to be trapped inside mud-filled tunnels at the Trishuli-3A hydropower site. Emergency crews have also begun pumping air into the underground network as fears grow over the closing window to rescue survivors.

The disaster along the Trishuli River forms part of a broader flood crisis on the Nepal-Tibet border. Nepal's disaster management authority reported that the nationwide death toll has reached 939, with the estimated number of missing individuals revised to 3,925, including 592 foreign nationals. Officials estimate that approximately one in seven missing persons are workers from local hydropower plants.

Rescue Operations and Search Challenges

An international rescue team comprising Nepalese and Chinese military personnel, alongside experts from India, Korea, and Australia, is leading the underground search. Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated on Monday that 279 people have been rescued from hydropower sites so far, bringing the total number of people rescued across all affected areas to 11,379.

The flooding damaged at least 11 hydropower projects that were either completed or under construction. Search efforts faced setbacks on Monday when a team entered a tunnel leading to one power station but withdrew after finding no occupants inside. Arnold Dix, an Australian engineer assisting authorities remotely, described the terrain as severely altered, noting that massive boulders and mud have obscured tunnel entrances.

Impact Downstream and Regional Situation

Farther downstream in the Chitwan district, authorities have initiated temporary burials for nearly 300 unidentified bodies washed up along riverbanks. Medical personnel and volunteers are collecting DNA samples prior to burial to allow family members to claim remains once identified. Chitwan Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryaal cited a shortage of freezer facilities as the reason for opting for temporary burials.

Across the border in Tibet, Chinese state media reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing. Chinese authorities have imposed administrative penalties on individuals speculating online about casualty figures, while Nepalese officials have similarly ordered the removal of online content categorized as misinformation.