Nepal Opens Tunnel to Rescue Workers Trapped After Devastating Flash Floods

Nepali rescuers resumed efforts to reach hydropower workers trapped in mud-filled tunnels after rain and rising river waters hampered earlier attempts.

The Nepali government said more than 100 workers may still be alive inside multiple tunnels at hydropower projects, with the main rescue operation focused on the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites.

The massive flash flood occurred Wednesday after a portion of a glacier collapsed near Nepal's border with Tibet, killing at least 750 people and leaving more than 3,000 missing. Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 933 hydropower workers were among those listed as missing.

At the Trishuli 3A site in Rasuwa district on Saturday evening, army rescue teams using drilling equipment broke through the top of a mud-filled tunnel and began pumping in air and lowering cameras for inspection.

However, overnight rain and rising river levels hindered rescue efforts on Sunday morning, leaving the excavation area waterlogged before conditions eased. In a statement on Sunday, the Nepali army said: "With the floodwaters receding, teams have resumed efforts to locate the tunnel entrance using drills, excavators, hydraulic cutters, and other equipment."

Al Jazeera's Minelle Fernandez, reporting from the capital Kathmandu, said the government had requested expert assistance from India and China to "fill the gaps" in the rescue campaign. She said: "The government is trying its best, bringing these experts in to see if there is any way or any means to get these people who are alive out."

Wednesday's disaster occurred when a section of a glacier at an altitude of about 5,200 meters in the Himalayas collapsed, plunging about 1,200 meters, carrying rocks and debris before slamming into the Lende River. The floodwaters swept through Nepal's Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts, at one point raising the Trishuli River's water level by 9 meters in just 30 minutes. The US Geological Survey revised its initial finding attributing the cause to an earthquake, concluding the seismic signal actually came from the landslide.

Al Jazeera's Jessica Washington, reporting from Dhading, said river waters had receded by Sunday but the current remained strong. She said the flood had destroyed many homes, leaving only foundations. Houses that remained standing were "in complete disrepair."

"Talking to some of the residents, this disaster is not just the destruction of homes but also their livelihoods because many of them told us they had small shops and small businesses on the ground floor of their houses and all their products—everything—have been completely washed away," Washington said.

Nepal's National Disaster Management Authority said Sunday that 734 bodies had been recovered. The number of missing on the Nepali side of the border stood at least 2,498. Chinese authorities reported the death toll in Tibet had risen to 16, with 546 people missing. Al Jazeera's Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, said 261 foreigners from 23 countries were among those unaccounted for.

International aid has arrived from the United Nations, the Red Cross Federation, Australia, India, South Korea, and the United States. The US and Canada said they would each provide $3.6 million in humanitarian aid. Britain offered $6.8 million, while the UN allocated $2.5 million in emergency funds. On Friday, the European Union pledged $2.3 million, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said it had allocated more than $1 million and launched an emergency appeal worth $31 million.

Al Jazeera's Samer Allawi said authorities had "not yet moved to phase two of the relief operation, which includes humanitarian support and road clearance" because of "the difficult terrain and lack of adequate resources." He said Nepal's finance minister estimated the disaster damages at "more than $4 billion," while warnings of potential flooding along rivers in northern Nepal remained in effect.