Nepal rescuers face blocked tunnels in search for missing hydropower workers

Rescue teams in Nepal are still searching for hundreds of workers believed trapped in hydropower tunnels since a catastrophic flash flood last week. Many tunnels remain completely blocked by mud and debris, and no one has been confirmed alive. Officials say efforts continue despite the difficult conditions.

The August 26 flood swept a wall of mud and debris through Nepal's Himalayan region, leaving 639 hydropower workers unaccounted for. Rescue teams have recovered at least three bodies from two tunnels, but progress is slow—entry points are hard to locate, and passages remain clogged with rock and sludge. Foreign rescue units are assisting local efforts.

At the Rasuwagadhi plant specifically, officials believe 46 workers may be sheltered in an underground chamber with access to food and water. The disaster has also disrupted Nepal's power infrastructure, halting 11 hydropower stations and one solar facility totaling 431.1 megawatts—roughly 10 percent of national capacity—while 15 projects under construction sustained damage.