At least 934 people are trapped or out of contact at 11 hydropower project sites and tunnels in Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, two of the areas worst affected by Wednesday’s flash floods, according to data seen by HT.
The trapped or missing workers include citizens of Nepal, India, South Korea and China, a Nepal energy ministry official said, adding that the number could exceed 1,000 as several of the affected projects are under construction and may have unregistered workers. At least five of the 11 sites are under construction, according to information available to rescuers. India sent its third flight with assistance and an 11-member team of medical and tunnel experts on Friday night.
Because under-construction projects might also have unregistered workers, this has led officials to suspect the number could be well over 1,000.
The hydropower projects are run by different companies such as Nepal Water and Energy Development Company (NWEDC), Rasuwagadi Hydropower Company, Perfect Energy Development Private Limited, Trishuli Hydropower Company Limited and Nepal Electricity Authority, according to the ministry data.
It was an operational tunnel. The Nepalese government has yet to ask for assistance from India, which is ready to send its NDRF personnel, who are experts in tunnel rescue. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to consider sending NDRF personnel. To be sure, the Nepal government must first request assistance from the Indian government.
“We have information that at the Upper Trishul 3A project where 42 people were missing, the mouth of the tunnel has been blocked. The Indian government sent the NDRF to Nepal during the 2015 earthquake and has also sent rescuers to Turkey and Myanmar in recent years. Because there will be people not registered with the companies, especially at under-construction sites,” he added, we estimate that the number of people trapped is more than 1000.
The energy ministry official said that the Nepal government should take help from experts to rescue the workers in time. “The NDRF’s expertise and experience in responding to natural disasters can provide valuable support in efforts to save lives and bring urgent relief to those facing this immense tragedy,” he said. NDRF officials said the Home Ministry has asked them to be on standby and prepare to fly anytime.
