“Our main focus is on searching for and rescuing people (…), some people are trapped in the tunnel of the ‘Trishuli 3A’ hydroelectric project,” AFP was told by Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ramas Basnet.
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“Two helicopters were dispatched, but it is a challenge because it is difficult even to identify the tunnel entrance locations. Rescue operations are also underway to provide the rescued people with what they need,” added R. R. Basnet.
The Prime Minister’s office stated in a release that the army is working under difficult conditions.
“The Nepal Army team has successfully rescued 350 workers and local residents who were trapped in the tunnel some time ago, facing extremely risky and complex conditions due to adverse weather and fast-flowing floodwaters,” the statement said.
“The army is still working to safely evacuate more than 100 people trapped in the same tunnel,” it added.
No further information was provided about the nationality of the rescued or trapped individuals.
On Friday, the scale of devastating floods in Nepal’s northern border region became clear: roads, bridges, and hydroelectric infrastructure were destroyed, and survivors spoke of unprecedented losses.
Workers rescued from other dam projects in the Trishuli valley spoke about the disaster that began at a frightening speed.
“There were at least 400 workers on site,” said Devas Shrestha, who was airlifted from the site where he worked, to AFP after being rescued. “More people died than were saved.”
Worker Buddha Tamang said he survived only because he was in the tunnel of the dam where he worked when the flood started – but he managed to escape and get help.
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“I survived because I was in the tunnel,” said B. Tamang, who was airlifted on Thursday after being surrounded by water for more than 24 hours.
“Senior officials were working on the other side – the water took them all,” the man recounted.
Another worker, Arjunas Kumar Tamang, spoke about the “huge damage” at the hydroelectric site where he was.
“I don’t know how many people died, but the force of the water took everything,” said A. K. Tamang.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the Wednesday disaster was caused by a glacier collapse, triggering a massive flow of ice debris.
Due to climate change, glaciers are melting worldwide, increasing the risk of glacial lake outburst floods and glacier collapses.
The destruction cut off vital connections in the mountainous region.
The damage also affected Nepal’s important hydroelectric sector – several projects, both operational and under construction, were severely impacted.
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