{"id":5916,"date":"2026-08-31T06:26:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T06:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ventil.rs\/blog\/world\/nepal-teams-seek-hundreds-trapped-in-hydropower-tunnels-after-deadly-floods-death-toll-crosses-900\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T06:26:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T06:26:24","slug":"nepal-teams-seek-hundreds-trapped-in-hydropower-tunnels-after-deadly-floods-death-toll-crosses-900","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ventil.rs\/blog\/world\/nepal-teams-seek-hundreds-trapped-in-hydropower-tunnels-after-deadly-floods-death-toll-crosses-900\/","title":{"rendered":"Nepal teams seek hundreds trapped in hydropower tunnels after deadly floods; death toll crosses 900"},"content":{"rendered":"


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A drone view of an uprooted tree and damaged houses after the deadly flash floods and a mudslide, at Devighat, Nuwakot district, Nepal, August 31, 2026. \u2014 Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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  • 933 workers missing from hydropower projects in flood-hit region<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Hundreds of unidentified bodies buried in shallow graves.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Nearly 21,000 security personnel join Nepal\u2019s rescue operations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    KATHMANDU\/BEIJING: Nepal’s rescue teams, helped by Chinese and Indian experts, worked overnight to reach hundreds of people believed to be stuck inside blocked hydropower project tunnels in the aftermath of last week’s Himalayan flood that carved a trail of destruction in the country’s valley towns and villages as well as across the border in China.<\/p>\n

    The unprecedented deluge of ice, rock, mud and debris on the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday \u2013 blamed on a glacier collapse \u2013 killed more than 900 people and nearly 5,000 are still missing.<\/p>\n

    Hundreds of bodies, many unidentified, have been buried in shallow graves as they began decomposing in the humid weather in the plains of the Himalayan country after being swept down the mountains by the torrent.<\/p>\n

    Nepali officials said that the focus was on reaching the hundreds of workers believed to be trapped inside about half a dozen hydropower project tunnels that had been blocked by mud and rock debris.<\/p>\n

    Pictures and videos shared by rescue teams showed earth-moving equipment digging and shovelling mud and rocks under lights in the dark of the night as workers watched. Soldiers used torchlight in a big pit they had created to look for space to get into one tunnel.<\/p>\n

    Nepal\u2019s disaster management authority said that 933 people were missing from hydropower projects in the flood-hit region. The Red Cross has estimated that more than 90,000 people are likely to have been affected by the disaster, which China has linked to the effects of climate change.<\/p>\n

    On Monday, Nepali authorities said 903 people had died, with 4,247 missing, including the 933 at hydropower projects. On the Chinese side, authorities said 16 people were killed in Gyirong County and 546 were missing.<\/p>\n

    Complete assessment of damage challenging, says Nepal PM<\/h2>\n

    \u201cA large amount of debris has been deposited and that is posing us a big challenge to open the tunnels,\u201d Nepal army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet told Reuters. \u201cOur main focus is on opening the tunnels.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the flood was an \u201cunprecedented and devastating natural disaster\u201d and it remained challenging to compile a complete assessment of the damage.<\/p>\n

    \u201cDespite the adverse weather, difficult terrain and continuing risks, we are moving forward with determination to save the lives of our citizens,\u201d he said in a Facebook post late on Sunday, adding that nearly 21,000 security personnel were involved in the rescue operations, besides civilian workers and volunteers.<\/p>\n

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    \n \"A
    A drone view shows damaged buildings and houses covered in mud next to the Likhu River following deadly flash floods and mudslides, in Devighat, Nuwakot district, Nepal, August 30, 2026. \u2014 Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, on a visit to Kyrgyzstan, said Beijing is making every effort to search for missing people following the disaster, Xinhua reported on Monday.<\/p>\n

    Beijing has said 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries were unaccounted for in Tibet, near a key border crossing with Nepal.<\/p>\n

    China\u2019s state-run CCTV<\/span> reported Beijing has mobilised more than 2,100 rescue workers and allocated at least 220 million yuan ($33 million) to support relief efforts and has been airdropping equipment and supplies to frontline rescuers, while its soldiers used life-detection equipment to look for the missing.<\/p>\n

    Risk from lakes and landslides<\/h2>\n

    Although Nepal has said that it does not need foreign help in general rescue and search, it has leaned on giant neighbours India and China for their expertise in tunnel rescue.<\/p>\n

    Rescue operations have been suspended several times since Friday because of bad weather and concerns that a lake formed across the Nepal-China border by the disaster could trigger fresh flooding after it began overflowing into Nepal’s rivers.<\/p>\n

    China\u2019s state television CCTV<\/span> said that another lake formed upstream by a landslide had largely drained as water flowed out naturally.<\/p>\n

    The landslide occurred 2.8 km (1.7 miles) downstream from the first lake formed by debris of the glacier collapse.<\/p>\n

    Authorities are now monitoring an impact crater carved out near the site of the glacier collapse on the Nepalese side, which had expanded to 174,000 square metres by Saturday evening, state media said.<\/p>\n

    The crater had an estimated reservoir of 2.5 million cubic metres, which if breached, could lead to a chain reaction to lakes further downstream, authorities warned.<\/p>\n

    CCTV<\/span> said there is a risk of further landslides along the river that could create additional lakes, as investigators identified eight high-risk locations for geological disasters.<\/p>\n

    The flood was “caused by glacier instability under the long-term effects of global warming”, the state broadcaster reported, saying it was a “new and prominent feature of cryosphere disasters” on the Tibetan plateau.<\/p>\n

    Two Nepali officials told Reuters that China had not shared much information on glacier risks and water levels following a meeting to strengthen cooperation earlier this year, and they feared that a lack of data sharing could hamper future disaster preparedness. China’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the meeting.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n