Nepal hydropower tunnel rescue continues as experts warn survivors may last up to 17 days
Rescuers in Nepal are continuing to excavate around the clock in flood-ravaged districts near the border with Tibet, where more than 900 workers linked to hydropower projects are feared trapped underground. The search is focused on underground power stations and access tunnels that were hit when ice, rock, mud and water swept through the region last Wednesday. The operation remains one of the country's most urgent disaster responses, with crews working under floodlights amid collapsed hillsides and heavily altered terrain.
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Melbourne-based geologist and engineer Arnold Dix, who is advising the emergency crews, said some survivors could remain alive for as long as 17 days. He said the topography of the area has changed so much that rescuers are struggling even to locate the access tunnels for the underground power stations. Dix also said the deluge likely wiped out 27 power stations, including 12 that are destroyed at the surface, although it remains unclear whether emergency systems activated in time or whether water and debris flooded the facilities.
The focus of the search is on subterranean structures that may have withstood the impact of the debris flow, rather than the headrace tunnels that carry water through the systems. The Trishuli 3A hydropower project is among the sites being examined, and the underground facilities there include a 33-metre structure buried beneath the mountains. The scale of the damage has made the rescue effort slow and technically difficult, with each site presenting different access problems and no confirmed sign yet of survivors.
The incident matters because hydropower is central to Nepal's electricity system and many projects are built in narrow river valleys that are vulnerable to floods and landslides. The latest figures show that the disaster is not only a humanitarian emergency but also a major infrastructure crisis, with power stations damaged across a wide area. The cross-border setting near Tibet adds further complexity, because the flooding has affected districts on both sides of the frontier and made logistics more difficult for rescue teams.
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The search has also highlighted the risks faced by workers in underground energy projects in mountainous terrain. According to the supplied material, the deluge has left rescuers trying to work through collapsed hillsides, blocked passages and debris-filled tunnels while time continues to pass for those still unaccounted for. The emergency response has drawn on technical advice from outside the country, reflecting the specialist nature of the operation and the difficulty of working in confined underground spaces.
Earlier reports from the same developing disaster said the wider flooding and landslides had already caused severe disruption to hydropower sites and left hundreds of workers missing. The current operation is now centred on whether any of the underground spaces remain accessible and whether emergency systems in the plants helped preserve air pockets or safe areas. Officials have not said how many of the missing are still reachable, and the number of workers feared trapped remains a moving figure as the search continues.
What remains unclear is how many people may still be alive underground, which tunnels can still be reached, and whether further access points can be opened safely. Rescuers are expected to keep excavating as long as conditions allow, but the terrain remains unstable and heavily damaged. The next developments will depend on whether crews can locate more of the buried infrastructure and confirm the fate of those still missing.
Rescuers in Nepal are still searching hydropower tunnels for workers feared trapped after a mud-and-debris flood a week ago, but no one has been confirmed alive. Teams have recovered at least three bodies from two tunnels, while other entry points remain blocked by mud, rocks and sludge. The search is centred on multiple hydropower sites affected by the August 26 disaster, with foreign teams also supporting the operation.
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The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 639 hydropower workers have been missing since the flood swept through the area. Its spokeswoman, Shanti Mahat, said rescuers have struggled to find tunnel entrances and, where they have been found, the passages have often been blocked from inside. Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said crews have access to the tunnels but face major difficulties because of the amount of debris inside.
The Nepal Electricity Authority said 11 hydropower stations and one solar power station have stopped operating, with a combined capacity of 431.1 megawatts, or about 10% of Nepal's installed electricity generation capacity. It also said another 15 power projects under construction, with a planned capacity of 470 megawatts, were damaged. The disruption adds an energy dimension to a disaster that has already left rescue teams working against time in dangerous underground conditions.
The incident matters because hydropower is a major part of Nepal's electricity system and many projects are built in narrow river valleys that are vulnerable to floods and landslides. The latest figures show the scale of the damage is not limited to the missing workers, but also extends to power supply and projects still under construction. That makes the rescue effort both a humanitarian operation and a test of critical infrastructure resilience.
The search has also drawn in outside assistance, reflecting the difficulty of working in tunnels filled with mud and debris. Rescuers have entered several hundred metres into some tunnels, but progress has been repeatedly halted by sludge and blocked passages. The government had initially said it believed more than 100 workers could still be alive inside multiple tunnels, but hopes have faded as the operation has continued.
What remains unclear is how many of the missing workers are still reachable and whether further bodies will be recovered as access improves. Officials have not said when the tunnels may be cleared enough for a fuller search, and conditions remain hazardous. The next developments will depend on whether crews can open more entry points and continue working through the blocked sections.
A thermal drone search inside a hydropower tunnel in Nepal has found no signs of life as rescuers continue trying to reach workers believed trapped underground after flooding and landslides. The search is centred on the Rasuwagadhi hydropower project in Rasuwa district, near the border with China. Officials and rescuers are still working to reach at least three missing workers who may be buried beneath mud and earth.
The drone footage was recorded on Monday and showed the interior of the tunnel, which rescuers say is heavily blocked by debris. The operator, Manish Maharjan, said mud, water and earth had filled about 80% to 90% of the structure, sharply reducing hopes of finding survivors. Authorities have confirmed rescue operations at the site, and the Nepal Army is involved in the effort.
The search is taking place in the aftermath of severe flooding that has affected hydropower sites across Nepal. The supplied report says the wider disaster has left more than 1,000 people dead and about 639 people still trapped in various hydropower facilities. It also says the flood and associated landslides have made rescue work difficult because access routes are blocked and the chances of survival fall quickly in buried tunnels.
The incident underlines the vulnerability of hydropower infrastructure in Nepal's mountain valleys, where tunnels, roads and river corridors can be cut off by floodwater, mud and rock. Hydropower is a major part of the country's infrastructure, and projects such as Rasuwagadhi are built in terrain that can become unstable very quickly during extreme weather. The cross-border location of the project, close to China, also adds to the logistical difficulty of rescue and recovery work.
The broader disaster has already overwhelmed emergency response efforts in the region, with hundreds of people still trapped across multiple hydropower sites according to the supplied material. The scale of the flooding has also raised questions about how quickly teams can clear debris and whether any underground spaces remain accessible. For families of the missing, the drone result is a setback, but it does not yet end the search.
What remains unclear is whether any of the missing workers are still reachable deeper inside the tunnel or in adjoining sections of the project. Rescuers have not said when they may be able to enter further, and the extent of the blockage means conditions remain dangerous. The next developments will depend on whether crews can clear enough mud and earth to continue the search and confirm the fate of those still unaccounted for.
Nepal's rescue teams are continuing efforts to reach workers believed trapped in hydropower tunnels after last week's devastating floods and debris flows in the Himalayan border region. Officials said the focus is now on 933 workers at 11 hydropower projects in the hard-hit districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot. Chinese and Indian experts are assisting the operation as crews try to clear mud, rocks and water from blocked tunnels.
The Nepali army said search-and-rescue teams are using controlled blasts, excavators and search lights to open access routes. Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said the amount of debris deposited in the area is creating a major challenge. Teams have recovered three bodies after entering two tunnels, while other sections remain buried and are still being searched.
Authorities said the flood, which struck along the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday, was blamed on a glacier collapse and has killed more than 900 people. Nepalese officials put the death toll at 903, with 4,247 still missing, while Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing in Gyirong County. The scale of the missing-person figures means the full human toll remains uncertain, even as bodies have been buried in shallow graves in the plains because of decomposition in humid conditions.
The rescue effort matters because hydropower is a major part of Nepal's infrastructure and the projects are often built in narrow river valleys and tunnel systems that are highly exposed to floodwater and landslides. The disaster has also shown how quickly damage can spread across borders in the Himalayan region, affecting communities and infrastructure on both the Nepalese and Tibetan sides. With roads cut, river corridors blocked and weather still difficult, access to the worst-hit areas remains limited.
The latest figures add to a disaster that has already drawn in large-scale emergency resources. The Red Cross has estimated that more than 90,000 people are likely to have been affected, and the prime minister has said nearly 21,000 security personnel are involved in rescue efforts. Helicopters have been used to deliver food, clothing and supplies to isolated communities while also moving survivors and injured people out of flood-hit areas.
What remains unclear is how many of the 933 workers are still underground and how many may be unreachable for other reasons. Officials are still updating casualty and missing-person figures, and the number trapped in the tunnels may change as access improves. The immediate focus remains on opening the tunnels, accounting for the missing and preventing further loss of life as rescue teams continue their work.
Nepal's flood disaster has deepened, with officials saying the death toll has risen above 900 and thousands remain missing after catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides in the Himalayan border region. Rescue teams are still trying to reach workers believed trapped in hydropower project tunnels blocked by mud and rock debris. The latest figures show the scale of the emergency has widened further, with the search now stretching across cut-off districts and damaged infrastructure.
Authorities said the flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border was triggered by a glacier collapse and has killed 903 people in Nepal, with 4,247 still missing, while Chinese authorities reported at least 16 deaths and 546 missing in Tibet. Nepal's army said a large amount of debris was making it difficult to open the tunnels, and rescue work was being carried out with the help of Chinese and Indian experts. In Kathmandu, morgues have reached capacity, while families continue to search hospitals for missing relatives and posters of the missing cover the walls of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.
The disaster has also left a wider humanitarian footprint, with helicopters delivering food, clothing and supplies to isolated communities in Nuwakot district while ferrying survivors and injured people out of flood-hit areas. The Red Cross has estimated that more than 90,000 people are likely to have been affected, and nearly 21,000 security personnel are involved in rescue efforts, according to the prime minister. Officials say the terrain, weather and continuing risk of landslides are still slowing access to the worst-hit areas.
The scale of the missing-person figures makes this one of the most serious natural disasters to hit Nepal in recent years. Hydropower sites are especially vulnerable in mountain regions because tunnels, access roads and river corridors can be blocked quickly by debris and floodwater. The cross-border nature of the disaster has also complicated the response, with damage and casualties reported on both sides of the Nepal-Tibet frontier.
The latest reports suggest that hundreds of hydropower workers may still be underground, including 933 workers mentioned in one account, while another 500 workers from the Truck and Container Association are also reported missing. Bodies have been buried in shallow graves as they began decomposing in humid weather, underscoring the difficulty of recovery operations in the days after the flood. Officials have described the event as an unprecedented and devastating natural disaster, but they have also said a complete assessment of the damage is still not possible.
The situation remains fluid because the disaster zone is remote, the weather remains difficult and fresh landslide risk continues to threaten rescue teams. Authorities in Nepal and China are still updating casualty and missing-person figures, and the number of trapped workers may change as access improves. The main focus now is on reaching the tunnels, accounting for the missing and preventing further loss of life as emergency crews continue their work.
At least 750 people have now died and more than 3,000 remain missing after devastating floods and mudslides struck Nepal and Tibet near the Chinese border, according to local authorities. Rescue efforts are entering a fifth day, with heavy overnight rain and rising river waters continuing to hamper operations. The latest figures point to a worsening disaster across a remote Himalayan border zone that has already seen widespread damage to homes, roads and riverbanks.
Officials said rescuers are still trying to reach hydropower workers believed to be trapped in tunnels, while Chinese rescuers near the Tibet border port were moved to safer locations after a new lake formed following a landslide. State media said monitoring drones detected a landslide on a mountainside downstream from the Purepuqiang Tsangpo barrier lake on the evening of 29 August. The landslide created a new barrier and a new barrier lake is now forming, adding to the instability in the area and complicating search operations.
The disaster has affected communities on both sides of the border and has drawn in rescue teams and local authorities dealing with a rapidly changing situation. Images from the affected area show damaged buildings, mud-covered homes and swollen rivers, including in Devighat in Nuwakot district and along the Trishuli river in Nepal. The scale of the missing-person figures means the full human toll remains uncertain, even as emergency crews continue to search through mud, floodwater and debris.
The floods and mudslides also underline the vulnerability of mountain communities and infrastructure in the Himalayan region, where narrow valleys can channel water and debris with little warning. Hydropower sites are particularly exposed because workers and equipment are often located in river corridors and tunnel systems. The cross-border nature of the disaster has also made coordination more complex, with conditions changing quickly on both the Nepalese and Tibetan sides.
This incident follows earlier reports that nearly 3,000 people were missing after the floods, including many foreign nationals, and that international consular and humanitarian attention had already been drawn to the area. The latest update suggests the search effort remains active but increasingly difficult because of weather, terrain and fresh landslide risk. It is still unclear how many of those missing are trapped, displaced or unreachable, and officials are expected to issue further updates as rescue teams gain access to more sites.
What happens next will depend on whether the rain eases and whether crews can safely reach the most isolated locations. Authorities in Nepal and China are still compiling figures, and the death toll and missing-person count may change again as more information comes in. The main focus remains on rescue, recovery and stabilising the affected river systems before further flooding or landslides occur.
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