Kathmandu, September 2, 2026 — Hopes are growing that dozens of workers trapped for about a week inside an underground chamber at Nepal’s Rasuwagadhi hydropower project may still be alive, a Nepal Electricity Authority official has said.
Amshu Kiran Shahi, a board member of the Nepal Electricity Authority, told Reuters that around 46 workers were believed to be trapped inside a room-like structure within the tunnel.
“We are very confident that they must be alive after one week because they have food and water,” Shahi said.
The workers became trapped after devastating flash floods and mudslides swept through the Rasuwa district near Nepal’s border with China. The disaster sent huge amounts of ice, rocks, mud and debris into several hydropower facilities.
Nepali authorities have so far rescued 279 people, while at least 639 others remain missing. Some of those missing are believed to be trapped inside tunnels connected to hydropower projects.
Rescue teams are intensifying efforts at Rasuwagadhi, a 111-megawatt hydropower facility located in a mountainous valley about five kilometres from the Chinese border.
According to Shahi, Nepal’s army previously attempted to enter the tunnel but failed to locate the chamber where the workers are believed to be trapped. Rescue teams are now preparing to make another attempt.
At the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project, rescuers reportedly spent nearly six days locating tunnels buried beneath thick layers of mud. Officials believe survivors could still be inside because a dry area has reportedly been identified.
Nepal is using available rescue technology and receiving assistance from teams and experts from India, China, South Korea and Australia.
The scale of the disaster is enormous. A preliminary estimate by the United Nations Development Programme puts the amount of debris generated by the floods at around 2.2 million tonnes, including rocks, sediment and parts of destroyed buildings.
Despite the difficult rescue conditions, authorities continue to search the affected hydropower sites in the hope of finding more survivors.
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