The catastrophic floods that have struck Nepal have caused more than 1,000 deaths, while authorities report that over 3,900 people remain missing.
Të lidhura
None found
Among those whose whereabouts are unknown are more than 600 workers who are believed to be trapped in mud-filled tunnels near hydropower projects along the Trishuli River.
Efforts to locate and rescue them are being carried out by Nepalese and Chinese military forces, while specialists from India, South Korea and Australia have also joined the operation. Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah announced that 279 people have so far been rescued alive from the affected areas.
Teams have begun supplying air to the tunnels where the missing workers are believed to be located. A rescue team managed to enter a tunnel connected to a hydropower plant, but withdrew after finding no survivors.
Relatives of the missing continue to hope that their loved ones may still be alive. Anushila Bhandari, the wife of 33-year-old engineer Aurus Bhandari, who went missing at one of the sites, said she only wants him to be found and brought home.
According to relatives, the chances of survival have not disappeared, as the tunnels may be equipped with oxygen systems. Sita Pandey, the wife of a worker who has not been found, said she still has a 50% hope that he is alive because of this system.
Relatives have expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of the operation and urged authorities to speed up the intervention. “The more time it takes, the more our hope fades,” said Jiban Khadka, who has a family member trapped in one of the facilities.
Australian engineer Arnold Dix, who is advising Nepalese authorities on underground searches, said teams are facing serious obstacles in trying to determine the location of the tunnels.
Dix explained that once their position is identified, rescuers may use excavation and explosives to create a passage to those trapped. He warned that the area contains rocks larger than houses, making the operation particularly complex.
A Health Ministry spokesperson announced that only around 4% of the 900 bodies found so far have been identified. Medical personnel and volunteers are collecting DNA samples from unidentified bodies so that families can confirm their identities and receive the remains of their relatives.
