Rescuers in Nepal are continuing to search for 900 missing hydropower workers, 13 days after devastating floods and landslides. The country’s army says 121 of them may be trapped in a vast underground tunnel network. Rescuers are seeing new hope after four people were recently pulled alive from the rubble.
Reuters reported Monday (Sept. 7) that six of the missing are workers from the damaged Chilime hydropower project in Rasuwa district. Four of them may still be alive, according to lawmaker Shree Ram Neupane, who is involved in the rescue effort. He said the special equipment needed for operations at the Chilime project has been gathered, and rescue tactics have been finalized.
Rescuers believe some people may still be alive inside the tunnels, since these tunnels have pockets where air can collect. In some places, there are also rooms and open spaces meant for workers to stay in.
Four people have been rescued alive from the rubble in recent days. A Chinese national was rescued from one tunnel Saturday. The day before, two hydropower workers were rescued from another tunnel. On the same day, a Nepali woman was pulled alive from a house buried under debris.
As part of mourning on the 13th day, national flags have been flown at half-mast at Nepal’s government offices at home and abroad. Under Hindu religious tradition, the 13th day after death marks the final day of mourning. The disaster began on Aug. 26, when part of a glacier collapsed, sending a massive amount of mud and rock into a river. Towns and villages along the Nepal-Tibet border were swept away as a result. At least 1,380 people have died so far in Nepal and Tibet, with more than 5,500 reported missing.
Nepal has requested emergency assistance including high-capacity drones, Bailey bridges, DNA testing kits, tunnel-rescue gear and epidemic-prevention equipment.