An 11-member Indian team of medical personnel and tunnel-rescue specialists arrived in Nepal on Saturday to provide specialised technical assistance for efforts to rescue workers trapped or unaccounted for inside hydropower project tunnels after devastating flash floods.
The team was sent at the request of the Nepal government. After carrying out an aerial reconnaissance of the Chilime and Langtang areas, it reached the Trishuli area and began assessing the situation for rescue operations, according to Nepalese authorities.
Meanwhile, an 82-member joint security team of Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police personnel has been working since Friday night to clear debris and reach people believed to be trapped inside a tunnel at the Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project in Rasuwa near the Nepal-Tibet border. Rescue efforts have been complicated by mud and debris blocking the tunnel entrance and by adverse weather conditions.
The Nepal Army said security forces have so far rescued 191 workers from tunnels at various hydropower projects. However, a large number of workers remain unaccounted for. More than 100 people are believed to be trapped inside a tunnel at the under-construction Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa, where rescuers have been struggling to clear mud and debris.
The flash floods swept through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people and damaging roads, bridges, settlements and hydropower infrastructure. The disaster has left thousands missing and severely disrupted access and communications in the affected areas. Nepal has sought foreign expertise for DNA testing, forensic work and other specialised tasks. Kathmandu has also asked India and China to help build 42 Bailey bridges to restore transport services in the flood-hit areas. The portable bridges are designed for quick assembly without heavy machinery or special tools, as Nepal continues rescue and restoration work after the floods.
With PTI Inputs
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