Nepal rescuers drill into tunnels in bid to reach trapped workers

What the report says

Rescue teams in Nepal resumed efforts on Sunday to reach hydropower workers believed trapped in tunnels after severe flooding and mudslides damaged hydroelectric facilities in the country’s north. According to Al Jazeera’s report, the main operations were centered on the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites in Rasuwa District, where the Nepali government said more than 100 workers could still be alive underground. The Nepal Army said its crews had drilled into part of a mud-filled tunnel, pumped in air and sent a camera inside before overnight rain and rising river levels interrupted the work.

The flooding was triggered on Wednesday when a glacier-related collapse in the Himalayas sent debris into the Lende River, causing a surge that swept through Rasuwa and nearby districts. The disaster has caused widespread destruction across Nepal and the border region of Tibet, with official figures in the report placing Nepal’s dead at 734 and its missing at least 2,498. Nepal’s disaster authority said 933 hydropower workers were among the missing. Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths in Tibet and hundreds still unaccounted for.

The report says Nepal has asked specialist help from India and China to support the search, while aid has also been pledged by several international partners and agencies. Beyond the rescue effort, the disaster has raised concerns about infrastructure safety, emergency readiness and the scale of damage to homes, roads and local livelihoods in remote river valleys.