Tunnel experts and rescuers at the Chilime 22 MW hydropower project in Nepal have started using rat-hole mining, a technique adopted during the 2024 Uttarakhand Silkyara tunnel rescue, in order to find and pull out six workers trapped after the devastating floods on August 26.
If there is a void and the route is not blocked further, there should be a breakthrough here very soon,” he added. The rescuers have dug almost 35 metres deep into the debris using the method and are hopeful of a breakthrough in their search , officials monitoring the rescue operations said on Monday. Twenty tunnel experts from the Indian Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with 37 Nepalese Army personnel are carrying out the rescue. A project official said around 90 metres of debris, including large boulders, were cleared using excavators . The rescuers then created a rat hole and slowly went 35 metres further to a total depth of 125 metres and are removing water that has collected after this point, said Bimal Khadka, deputy manager of the Chilime Hydropower Company Ltd.. “We are all hoping that the water has created a void in the next 100 metres or so which leads to the underground power station.
“Approximately 100 metres of debris has been cleared so far by a joint team using an excavator and a loader. “This makes us believe that we are near the power station.
Since water has been found inside the tunnel, work to remove it is underway, and a search and rescue team is attempting to enter using ropes.” the Nepal Army said in a press statement. Our teams are working round the clock in different shifts to reach the power station. ” he said. Indian envoy in Nepal Naveen Srivastava said the clearing work is expected to continue on Tuesday to reach the powerhouse. Chilime Hydropower’s information officer, Shree Raj Bajracharya, said that rescuers on Monday morning came across oil mixed with water.
