Nepal rescuers reach 254 workers trapped in Trishuli hydropower tunnels
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Nepalese rescuers pulled 254 workers from the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower tunnel after floods buried tunnel entrances under mud and debris on Wednesday. The army is searching 19 tunnels along the Trishuli corridor, where more than 100 people may still be trapped. The disaster knocked out about 430 MW of generating capacity across 14–15 hydropower plants.
Key Facts
- Nepalese Army personnel rescued 254 people from the Upper Trishuli-1 tunnel and 18 more from the Langtang Khola hydropower project.
- The Independent Power Producers' Association of Nepal (IPPAN) reported 934 people linked to 11 hydropower projects are out of contact.
- Nepal's Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation said 350 people had been rescued from various hydropower sites by Friday, with more than 100 still possibly inside tunnels.
- The Nepal Electricity Authority said more than 200 people working at several hydropower facilities remain unaccounted for.
- The floods knocked out about 430 MW of generating capacity at 14–15 hydropower plants along the Trishuli corridor.
Rescue Operations
Nepalese Army personnel crawled through mud, broken concrete and debris to reach workers trapped inside a tunnel after the floods. Rescuers moved slowly through the narrow passage, clearing rubble by hand, with conditions inside extremely difficult. Brigadier General Manoj Thapa said the army has concentrated efforts on 19 hydropower tunnels. The army has already carried out several rescue operations, extracting 254 people from Upper Trishuli-1 and 18 from Langtang Khola.
Missing Workers
At the Chilime hydropower plant, eight people remain out of contact, with six of them believed to be inside a mud-filled tunnel. At Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Company, 49 employees are out of contact, and an estimated three to six people may be inside an underground powerhouse several floors below ground. Preliminary information indicates more than 1,000 energy facility employees in the affected area remain out of contact. Rescuers say determining the location of some machine halls and tunnels after the flood is nearly impossible.
Power Generation Impact
The floods knocked out about 430 MW of generating capacity at 14–15 hydropower facilities along the Trishuli corridor. Authorities say there is no immediate threat to the country's power supply.
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Nepal rescuers reach 254 workers trapped in Trishuli hydropower tunnels
