573 workers trapped or missing at 11 Nepal hydropower sites after flash floods

At least 573 workers at hydropower project sites and tunnels across Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts — two of the worst-hit areas in Wednesday’s flash flood — are trapped or out of contact, days after a wall of ice, rock and water tore down the Lhende-Bhote Koshi- Trishuli river system.

Nepal government data seen by HT put the number of workers missing across at least 11 project sites at 934, late on Friday. Of these, 361 have since been rescued or made it out on their own.

The workforce at these projects often includes foreigners, including Indians. Officials and survivors at some of these plants, who spoke to HT, said the real figure is likely higher: five of the 11 sites are under-construction projects that may hold unregistered workers.

Apart from Indians, the trapped include nationals of Nepal, South Korea , China and Germany, an official at Nepal’s ministry of energy, water resources and irrigation said.

Most of the trapped are concentrated at four projects. Upper Trishuli 1 (216MW) has reported at least 322 people missing. Upper Trishuli 3B has 122 missing, Upper Trishuli 3A has 43, and the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project (111MW) has 44, according to the data.

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India sent a third relief flight on Friday, carrying an 11-member specialised technical team of medical and tunnel experts. The team carried out an on-site reconnaissance of the affected hydropower tunnels during the day, the Indian embassy in Kathmandu said. “A specialised technical team from India carried out on-site reconnaissance of hydropower tunnels in the area affected by the flash flood, which will help in facilitating early search and rescue of stranded individuals,” the embassy said in a statement.

A fourth sortie — a C-130J Hercules — is expected to depart for Kathmandu on Saturday, carrying a 13-member Indian Army tunnel rescue team with specialist equipment picked on the basis of the reconnaissance team’s on-ground assessment. It is also carrying a 19-member contingent of six forensic teams to assist in the analysis of DNA samples for identification of mortal remains, and is likely to carry relief supplies as well.

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Ajay Choudhury, a quality-control engineer at Upper Trishuli 1, was among those who got out. “At 8.59am the wave of flood overtook our project site. It is an under-construction site with at least three tunnels. As soon as we saw the huge wave of water coming towards the site, we ran. It must have taken us around 40 seconds to reach the hills nearby after coming out of the site. Scores of workers like us fled the dam construction site. In my estimate there are nearly 150-200 workers who could not escape in time. The tunnel entrance closed, and the walls crashed. People there are from Nepal, India, China and Germany. ”

Ashok Kumar Mandal, assistant manager (HR) at Upper Trishuli 1, said the muck blocking the tunnels was 10-12 feet high.