Rescue efforts are underway in Nepal to locate Jit Bahadur Chaudhary, a hydropower worker, who has been missing since a flood struck a construction site on Wednesday. Authorities are concentrating their operations on the Trishuli 3A and 3B hydropower project sites, which feature tunnels.
Nepali authorities are attempting to access trapped individuals by blasting into hillsides. A controlled blast was conducted early Monday at the Trishuli site in an effort to improve access. However, reaching the site remains difficult, with the area reportedly covered by meters of mud.
"It has been extremely difficult to reach the site. What we understand is that all the buildings are under meters of mud and it has been impossible to search for anyone there," one individual involved in communication efforts told BBC Radio Cymru's Bwrw Golwg programme. Phone and internet connections were lost within 20 minutes of the incident, complicating efforts to gather information. It took approximately three days to receive initial details.
Access to the site is primarily by helicopter, and the challenging terrain requires specialized piloting skills. Special machinery is also being awaited to help clear the mud. Despite the grim conditions at the primary site, there is some positive news from other locations along the river, where some individuals were able to find refuge in tunnels within hydropower stations.
While the situation at Chaudhary's specific worksite is dire, with "not a lot of hope for that particular site," full certainty about his fate awaits a physical search. He was reportedly working at the hydropower site when the flood occurred.