Nepal floods: Indian rescue teams step up search for people trapped in hydropower tunnels

An Indian tunnel rescue team continued search and rescue operations in Nepal on Monday to locate and evacuate people believed to be trapped inside tunnels at several hydropower projects following devastating floods in the Bhote Koshi River last weekThe Indian team is working alongside the Nepali Army in the floodhit areas of Rasuwa and Nuwakot where communication with hundreds of people associated with hydropower projects has been disruptedThe Indian Embassy in Nepal said its tunnel rescue specialists had carried out operations at hydropower tunnel sites in the Chilime and Langtang areasThe tunnel rescue team from India worked with the Nepali Armys team to conduct search and rescue operations at hydropower tunnel sites in the Chilime and Langtang areas today the embassy saidIt added that the team would continue the operation in close coordination with the Nepali ArmyHundreds remain out of contact at hydropower projectsAccording to the Independent Power Producers Association Nepal IPPAN 897 people employed across 11 hydropower projects in the floodaffected districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot remain out of contactThe figure reflects the scale of disruption caused by the flooding which damaged infrastructure and affected hydropower facilities located in and around the mountainous river valleysSearch operations have focused on project sites where workers and other personnel may have been trapped after floodwaters damaged access routes and surrounding infrastructureNepals National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority NDRRMA said that seven Indian and 15 Chinese nationals who had been trapped at hydropower projects were rescued on SundayAuthorities have not yet provided a complete breakdown of the number of people who remain trapped inside tunnels and those who are out of contact because communication and transport links have been disruptedIndian and Chinese specialists deployed after Nepals requestThe Indian and Chinese tunnel technicians arrived in Nepal at the request of the Nepali government to assist local rescue teamsBoth groups have been deployed to support efforts to locate and evacuate people trapped inside hydropower tunnels where rescue operations can be particularly difficult because of flooding debris and damage to access pointsIndian specialists were involved in rescue operations at different hydropower projects on Sunday according to statements issued by Nepali government authorities and IPPANThe Secretariat of Nepals Minister for Energy Water Resources and Irrigation said the Indian team conducted an initial aerial reconnaissance of the Chilime and Langtang areas by helicopter before planning further operations based on conditions at the affected sitesThe reconnaissance was intended to assess damage and identify areas where specialised equipment and rescue personnel would be requiredRescue work continues at Chilime and Langtang project sitesPrime Minister Balendra Shah said in a Facebook post late Sunday that an Indian team had conducted reconnaissance at the 22MW Chilime Hydropower Project in Rasuwa in coordination with the Nepal ArmyThe team later transported pumps and excavators to the site and began rescuerelated workHowever according to IPPAN operations at the Chilime project were halted on Sunday after another flood swept away structures in the dam area that had survived the earlier floodingThe renewed flooding highlighted the continuing risks facing rescue workers and affected personnel as water levels and weather conditions remain unstable in the disasterhit regionAt the Langtang Khola Hydropower Project in Rasuwa the Nepal Army carried out searchandrescue patrols according to the Prime MinisterAt the Langtang Khola Hydropower Project in Rasuwa the Nepal Army conducted searchandrescue patrols the Prime Minister said An Indian team has also conducted reconnaissance in coordination with the Nepal Army and has begun additional work after bringing pumps and excavators to the siteWith inputs from IANS