{"id":2091,"date":"2026-09-01T11:23:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T11:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=2091"},"modified":"2026-09-01T11:23:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T11:23:02","slug":"why-finding-missing-workers-from-nepals-hydropower-tunnels-is-proving-to-be-difficult-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=2091","title":{"rendered":"Why finding missing workers from Nepal\u2019s hydropower tunnels is proving to be difficult"},"content":{"rendered":"

This photo provided by the Nepal Army, shows Nepal army soldiers undertake rescue operation at the site of a hydropower project in Upper Trishuli, Nepal, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Nepal Army via AP)<\/small><\/p>\n

2026-09-01T11:03:21Z<\/p>\n

NEW DELHI (AP) \u2014 Rescue crews in Nepal<\/a><\/span> are racing against time to find hundreds of missing workers who are feared trapped inside hydropower tunnels damaged by flooding that has killed more than 1,000 people across Nepal and China.<\/p>\n

At least 900 workers are missing from hydropower projects<\/a><\/span>, with about 500 believed to be inside tunnels, according to officials and industry representatives.<\/p>\n

Access to the tunnels has been hampered by flooding, debris and damaged infrastructure, making it difficult for rescue teams to reach workers.<\/p>\n

Rescuers are scouring tunnels filled with debris<\/h2>\n

Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, a Nepal Army spokesperson, said teams assisted by foreign experts were working at several hydropower projects. Army footage showed rescuers entering dark, debris-filled tunnels, wading through mud and climbing over rocks as they searched for the missing. <\/p>\n

Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal, said floods damaged at least 12 hydropower projects in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, with a combined capacity of 670 MW. Four were under construction, seven operational and one in testing phase, he said. <\/p>\n

Hydropower projects undergo risk assessments and other studies before construction, but called the Aug. 26 flooding \u201csomething unimaginable,\u201d Dangi said.<\/p>\n

Flood damage is hampering access to tunnels<\/h2>\n

The biggest challenge for rescuers is reaching them.<\/p>\n

Many of Nepal\u2019s hydropower projects are in remote, mountainous areas where steep terrain and narrow roads can make access difficult. Flooding has worsened conditions, damaging roads and limiting routes to some sites.<\/p>\n

Rescuers also are facing tunnels that are blocked or damaged.<\/p>\n

The floods swept mud, huge rocks and debris into underground passages, collapsing sections and trapping workers. Even where tunnel entrances are accessible, crews must clear large amounts of debris before reaching deeper sections.<\/p>\n

Debris is obscuring the locations of workers<\/h2>\n

Finding the missing workers also has proved difficult.<\/p>\n

Filmmaker and drone pilot Manish Maharjan<\/a><\/span>, who has been volunteering with the Nepalese army, said some tunnels were \u201cfilled with mud like toothpaste in a tube.\u201d At one hydropower project, he used a drone to search to the end of a tunnel but found no sign of life.<\/p>\n

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