Families Cling To Hope As More Than 600 Workers Remain Trapped In Nepal Tunnels

Families Cling to Hope as More Than 600 Workers Remain Trapped in Nepal Tunnels Families of more than 600 workers believed to be trapped inside mud-filled tunnels along Nepal’s Trishuli River are desperately hoping their loved ones can still be found alive after devastating floods and landslides. The workers are believed to be trapped at several hydropower projects along the river, including the Trishuli-3A site, where rescue teams are racing against time to reach those who may still be alive. Rescuers have been using explosives and heavy machinery to clear paths through the hillside while pumping air into the tunnels in an effort to create conditions that could allow survivors to remain alive. The wider disaster has caused catastrophic destruction across Nepal and neighbouring areas, with the death toll surpassing 1,000 and thousands of people still reported missing. Nepalese and Chinese military personnel, supported by international experts, are involved in the rescue operation. More than 11,000 people have reportedly been rescued from affected areas, while authorities continue searching for those still missing. The tunnel rescue has proved particularly difficult because many entrances and surrounding structures were buried or destroyed by mud, rocks and floodwater. Rescuers have struggled to determine the exact locations of some tunnels and reach the workers inside. Relatives of the missing workers have continued to gather and wait anxiously for news, with some maintaining hope that trapped workers may have access to oxygen and could survive until rescue teams reach them. Authorities have acknowledged the urgency of the operation as every passing hour reduces the chances of finding survivors. The disaster has also renewed concerns about the vulnerability of Nepal’s hydropower infrastructure and communities to increasingly severe weather events in the Himalayan region.