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More than 600 people working at 11 hydropower project sites in Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts remain missing or trapped inside collapsed tunnels and infrastructure following the August 26 devastating flash floods in the Himalayan nation, with rescue operations involving multiple agencies, including the Nepalese and Indian armies, turning exceptionally grim with each passing day.

Rescue personnel work at a hydropower tunnel site, in the aftermath of deadly flash floods and a mudslide, in Rasuwa district, Nepal. (X/via REUTERS )Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority had estimated 639 people (till 6 pm on August 28) to be missing at these hydropower sites.

People aware of the matter said most of those missing were employed at the Upper Trishuli 1 project in Rasuwa district, where around 570 people, including 49 Indians, are yet to be traced. On Monday, three people missing from this project site were rescued, officials said, adding that none of them were trapped inside a tunnel. The missing workers are from multiple countries like China, India, South Korea, Germany and Nepal.

“Of these 570, there are at least 300 believed to be trapped in tunnels. The five firms employed in this project estimate that there were around 1,400 people working within the project that morning (August 26). The number keeps changing but at least 800 workers from here have survived (rescued or came out on their own),” said an official, requesting anonymity.

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A 13-member Indian army team of tunnel rescue experts is in Kathmandu, working with Nepalese authorities in rescue operations.

The official cited above shared details of the ongoing rescue operations at various tunnels. “At Chilime (eight missing), Indian technical team along with Nepalese army and authorities worked to open a route to a powerhouse tunnel. They reached 90 metres inside the 250-m tunnel but could not go inside. At Langtang Khola (41 missing), the Nepalese army, Indian army and other authorities will start work on Tuesday. An inspection was conducted today (Monday),” the official said.

At Rasuwagai, where 93 people are missing, drones were used inside one tunnel but no bodies were found, while at Upper Trishuli 3A, where 42 are missing, one portion of the tunnel portal was opened after a crown blast, the official said, adding: “Work is going on to clear the pile of stones and pathway inside.”

Vijay Prasad, an Indian national, who returned to his home in Bihar’s Rohtas district on Sunday after escaping the flash floods at the Upper Trishuli 1 project, said he was among the 150 survivors from the project. The 150 include people from various parts of India, including Assam and Bihar, as well as seven Korean nationals.

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Prasad, a rigger who worked at heights to move machinery within the tunnel, said when he was on top of the under-construction tunnel, he heard a loud sound towards them on August 26 morning.

“Initially I heard a loud sound and thought somebody must have switched on the large fan. Within just 1-2 seconds, some of us who were at a height saw a huge wave coming towards the dam. We knew it would break the dam so we jumped down and ran towards the opened mouth of the tunnel. Everyone started shouting for help and climbing towards the height. The wave must have been 50-70m high. I know this because I work at heights inside tunnels. By the time we reached the hills, the water had reached our knees even on the roadside. There were 7 South Korean nationals among the survivors while many are still trapped,” he said.

Prasad said some of the missing people were stuck at temporary huts and other accommodations near the river. “At the mess there were around 40-50 workers, mostly Indians. They are all missing. The mess is buried. From the hills, it looked like there was nothing left of our mess. Around 45 of us Indian nationals returned to India via the Raxaul border,” Prasad said.

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Meanwhile, Ambassador of India in Nepal Naveen Srivastava in a post on X said, “Our technical team for tunnel rescue worked in both Chilime and Langtang sites today in coordination with the Nepali Army. Despite inclement weather and difficult access conditions at Chilime, the team successfully established foothold at the tunnel and set up safety ropes inside tunnel. In Langtang the team along with Nepali forces was able to probe till 185 metres depth. Rescue efforts will continue tomorrow.”