Nepal rescue crews search tunnels 12 days after glacial floods

September 8, 2026 at 02:15 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Rescue crews in northern Nepal are still searching for people missing nearly two weeks after glacial floods and mudslides struck near the Nepal-China border on 26 August 2026. Operations have entered their 12th day, with difficult terrain and poor weather slowing work at flooded hydropower tunnels. Around 121 people could be trapped inside the tunnels, part of a larger group of about 900 initially reported unaccounted for.

Key Facts

The disaster struck on 26 August 2026, likely caused by a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border.
Approximately 121 people could be trapped inside flood-hit hydropower tunnels in Rasuwa and along the Trishuli corridor.
About 900 people were initially reported unaccounted for at the affected hydropower projects.
Four people have been rescued in recent days: two hydropower workers, a Chinese national, and a Nepali woman.
Rescue operations have entered their 12th day, with geography, adverse weather, and poor connectivity complicating work.

Rescue Operations

Rescue crews working in flood-hit areas of northern Nepal are still searching for people listed as missing nearly two weeks after catastrophic flooding swept through communities near the Nepal–China border. Al Jazeera English reported that operations had entered their 12th day, with geography, adverse weather and poor connectivity complicating work at flooded hydropower tunnels in Nepal. Across the border region, deep mud and the risk of further landslides have also slowed rescue work. Roads, tunnel entrances and recognizable landmarks have disappeared beneath debris, forcing crews to establish safe access before they can move equipment or begin digging.

Tunnel Search Focus

At hard-hit hydropower projects in Rasuwa and along the Trishuli corridor, attention soon turned to tunnels and underground facilities where workers might have taken shelter or become trapped. The Kathmandu Post, citing a Nepali Army briefing, reported that approximately 121 people could be trapped inside flood-hit hydropower tunnels. That figure represents part of a larger group of about 900 people who were initially reported unaccounted for at the affected projects. Officials stressed that the 900 figure did not mean all of those people were underground. Reuters also reported that four people had been rescued in recent days: two hydropower workers pulled from a tunnel on Friday, a Chinese national recovered from another tunnel on Saturday and a Nepali woman rescued from her buried house that same day.

Ground Conditions

Earlier field reporting from the Kathmandu Post described a tunnel entrance buried beneath thick slurry and surrounding terrain altered so extensively that rescuers could not initially locate the entrance. Project engineers had to use structural plans to identify its position before military engineers could break through the obstruction. The Nepali Army’s later site-by-site briefing showed how the difficulties varied among projects. At Trishuli 3B, crews were clearing debris to make room for excavation equipment. At Chilime, teams were using a small excavator and a pump to remove sludge, while an excavator delivered by helicopter had to be moved toward the site with ropes.