Nepal rescuers drill into tunnels to reach 100 trapped hydropower workers
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Nepali army rescuers resumed drilling into tunnels at the Trishuli 3A and 3B hydropower sites on Sunday to reach more than 100 workers trapped by flood debris. Overnight rain and rising river waters had earlier forced a halt, but conditions eased and the operation restarted. The government has requested specialist help from India and China to fill gaps in the rescue effort.
Key Facts
- Flash floods triggered by a glacier collapse near Nepal's border with Tibet on Wednesday have killed at least 750 people and left more than 3,000 missing.
- Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority says 933 hydropower workers are among the missing.
- At Trishuli 3A in Rasuwa District on Saturday evening, army rescue teams broke through into the upper part of a mud-swamped tunnel and began pumping air and sending in a camera.
- The US Geological Survey revised its initial finding of an earthquake trigger, concluding the seismic signal came from the landslide itself.
- The glacier at roughly 5,200 metres high collapsed, plunging about 1,200 metres and gathering rock and debris before slamming into the Lende River.
Rescue Operations
Nepali army rescue teams using drills broke through into the upper part of a mud-swamped tunnel at Trishuli 3A on Saturday evening and began pumping air as well as sending in a camera. Overnight rain and rising river waters hampered efforts early on Sunday, filling the excavation area with water before conditions eased. A Nepal Army statement on Sunday said the team has resumed efforts to locate the tunnel entrance using drilling machines, excavators, hydraulic cutters and other equipment. Al Jazeera's Minelle Fernandez, reporting from Kathmandu, said the government has requested specialist help from India and China to fill gaps in its rescue operations.
Flood Impact
The catastrophe on Wednesday was triggered when part of a glacier at roughly 5,200 metres high in the Himalayas collapsed, plunging about 1,200 metres and gathering rock and debris before slamming into the Lende River. The resulting surge swept south through Nepal's Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts, at one point raising the Trishuli River by nine metres in 30 minutes. Al Jazeera's Jessica Washington, reporting from Dhading, said the river had receded on Sunday, but the current remained strong. She said the floodwaters had destroyed many homes, leaving behind only the foundations, and those still standing are in a state of complete disrepair.
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Nepal rescuers drill into tunnels to reach 100 trapped hydropower workers
