Rescuers intensified efforts Monday to locate workers trapped in at least a dozen hydroelectric plant tunnels in Nepal and Tibet following catastrophic flooding that has claimed at least 900 lives and left over 4,700 people missing. Foreign rescue teams are assisting local efforts to find individuals in the tunnels of Nepal's power plants, which were inundated last Wednesday.
According to Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN), at least 12 hydropower projects across the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts were damaged, with approximately 900 people unaccounted for from these sites. Nepal's disaster agency reported 903 deaths and 4,247 missing individuals, including 592 foreigners, within the country. Chinese authorities confirmed 16 deaths and 546 missing, noting that 261 of those missing were foreigners, a group that included over 100 Nepalis.
Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, Nepal's army spokesman, stated that search and rescue operations are underway for stranded individuals in hills, settlements, and river areas.
At the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in the Rasuwa district, a heavily impacted area, 576 people are missing, with an estimated 300 believed to be trapped inside the project's tunnel. Rescue operations have been ongoing for several days amidst continuous rain.
Geoscientist Jakob Steiner explained that hydropower tunnels are constructed to divert water and house essential energy generation infrastructure, often large enough for vehicles. He noted that these spaces could provide refuge and that efforts are being made to supply oxygen to those inside, highlighting the urgent need for food and water.
On the Chinese side of the border, recovery efforts include rebuilding a road leading to Gyirong Port. State broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday that the road, submerged under 2 to 3 meters (6.6 to 9.8 feet) of water in some sections, is hampering access for rescuers. The repaving work is underway approximately 1 kilometer from the border.
Maraval Nagappan traveled to Nepal searching for his son, who was part of a group of 49 Indian pilgrims returning from Mount Kailash in Tibet. The group went missing after floodwaters swept through a Chinese immigration complex where they were awaiting to cross into Nepal. Nagappan stated that his son's group was expected to complete immigration and depart for Nepal within approximately two hours. Surveillance footage showed people fleeing the complex as water surged through it, with Nagappan identifying some as members of his son's group based on their clothing.
The floods were triggered by a glacial collapse high in the Himalayas. Scientists analyzing satellite images determined that a rockfall beneath a glacier caused a section of the glacier to collapse, registering as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event. This event led to swollen rivers carrying debris downstream through Tibet and Nepal.