Chest-Deep Mud Stops Rescue Team Inside Chilime Tunnel

Rasuwa: Rescue efforts to find people feared trapped or missing inside hydropower tunnels in flood-hit Rasuwa have been slowed by thick mud and debris, with rescuers unable to move beyond about 130 metres inside the Chilime Hydropower Project tunnel.

A specialised rescue team comprising mountain guides associated with the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association and personnel linked to Simrik Helicopter entered the Chilime tunnel to assess the situation and search for people who might still be inside.

The team managed to move about 120 to 130 metres into the tunnel using ropes. But the conditions quickly became too difficult to continue. Rescuers encountered mud and sludge reaching up to their chests, leaving little room to move safely.

The team said the tunnel has been filled with soil, mud and debris carried in by the flood. With the passage blocked, rescuers were unable to reach the deeper section of the tunnel or confirm whether anyone remains trapped beyond the blockage.

For families waiting for news of missing workers, the uncertainty has added to the pain of an already devastating disaster.

Rescuers have suggested using pumps, motors and long hose pipes to remove the mud and water from the tunnel. They believe clearing the obstruction could allow them to move farther inside and determine what has happened to people who may be beyond the blocked section.

But the operation cannot be rushed. Rescue workers themselves face serious risks from unstable ground, further movement of debris and possible flooding inside the tunnel.

One person was found dead outside the tunnel during the search operation. The Nepali Army recovered the body and took it from the site.

Mountain guides Ashish Gurung, Dorji Sherpa, Jenjen Lama, Sabin Thakuri, Tulising Gurung and Pasang Tendi Sherpa took part in the rescue operation. The team has said it is ready to assist the government wherever its specialised search-and-rescue skills are needed.

Chinese experts join tunnel rescue efforts

The difficult rescue situation has also prompted Nepal to seek specialised technical assistance from China.

A six-member Chinese tunnel expert team has been deployed to help with the rescue operation at the Upper Trishuli-3B Hydropower Project, where workers are believed to have been trapped inside a tunnel following the disaster.

The Chinese specialists are working with Nepali Army personnel and technical teams to assess the condition of the tunnel and determine how rescuers can safely reach the affected sections.

The involvement of tunnel specialists is considered important because the problem is no longer simply about locating missing people. Rescuers must first determine whether the tunnels are structurally safe, how much mud and debris has entered them and what equipment can be used to clear the blocked passages.

537 people still unaccounted for

The scale of the tragedy is particularly clear in the latest figures from the Independent Power Producers' Association, Nepal (IPPAN).

According to IPPAN, 898 employees and workers were initially reported unaccounted for at nine hydropower projects affected by the disaster in Rasuwa and neighbouring areas. Of them, 361 have since been rescued or accounted for, leaving 537 people still unaccounted for.

The figure does not necessarily mean that all 537 people are trapped inside tunnels. Their whereabouts remain uncertain because communication has been disrupted and access to several project sites has been severely damaged.

Among the most difficult locations is the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project, where a large number of workers were reported missing after the flood. Rescue teams have already brought hundreds of people to safety from affected hydropower sites, while efforts continue to locate those who remain unaccounted for.

Hydropower corridor devastated

The disaster has caused extensive destruction across the hydropower corridor of Rasuwa.

Floodwaters carrying huge amounts of mud, rocks and debris damaged roads, bridges, settlements and hydropower structures. In several places, access routes to project sites have been destroyed, making it difficult for rescuers to reach workers and transport heavy equipment.

For hydropower workers who were inside tunnels or at construction sites when the disaster struck, the sudden arrival of the flood left little time to escape.

Now, rescuers are working against difficult terrain and dangerous underground conditions to find those who remain missing.

At Chilime, the immediate challenge is the wall of mud blocking the tunnel. At Upper Trishuli-3B, Chinese and Nepali specialists are assessing how to enter the affected section safely. At other projects, authorities are still trying to establish the whereabouts of missing workers.

A race against time

For the families of those still missing, every passing hour brings greater anxiety.

Rescue teams know that survivors could be waiting somewhere beyond the mud and debris, but reaching them safely requires patience, equipment and careful planning.

The priority now is to clear blocked tunnels, pump out accumulated water and mud, establish safe access routes and determine the condition and location of missing workers.

The rescuers also face a difficult responsibility: they must move quickly, but not so quickly that they put their own lives at risk.

In the devastated hydropower corridor of Rasuwa, the search continues—with families waiting for answers and rescue workers determined to reach as far as the dangerous conditions will allow.