Nepal and China Floods Kill Over 900 as 500 Workers Feared Trapped in Hydropower Tunnels

• Rescuers raced to reach workers feared trapped inside tunnels at hydropower sites buried under mud following catastrophic flooding across Nepal and China
• The combined death toll in both countries surpassed 900, with more than 4,700 people reported missing six days after the disaster struck
• A private-sector association said at least 900 workers from 12 damaged hydropower projects in Nepal remained unaccounted for as families grew increasingly desperate

Rescue teams pressed on Monday to reach workers believed to be stranded inside mud-buried tunnels at hydropower facilities in Nepal, six days after devastating floods killed more than 900 people across Nepal and China and left over 4,700 others missing.

Nepal's disaster management agency confirmed 903 deaths within the country as of Monday, with 4,247 people unaccounted for, among them 592 foreign nationals.

AP reported that Chinese authorities recorded 16 deaths and 546 missing persons, with Chinese state media indicating that 261 of those missing were foreigners, including over a hundred Nepali nationals.

Read also

Immigration Officers Launch Operation on Accra Streets, Remove Beggars and Undocumented Immigrants

The Independent Power Producers' Association of Nepal (IPPAN) said at least 900 workers from 12 hydropower projects in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts remained unaccounted for following flood damage at their worksites.

IPPAN president Mohan Kumar Dangi estimated that roughly 500 of those workers could be trapped inside the tunnels themselves.

Dangi said some workers had managed to place calls seeking help when flooding began last Wednesday. Others who escaped the sites subsequently reported to authorities and family members that colleagues had been left behind inside the tunnels. However, with nearly a week now elapsed since the disaster, Dangi warned that fears were growing that some individuals may have suffocated.

At least one expert noted that the tunnel structures could provide sufficient space and oxygen for people to shelter, offering a degree of cautious hope. Others assessed that the window for finding survivors was narrowing considerably.

Several international rescue teams have been deployed alongside Nepali responders. Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, spokesperson for the Nepal Army, confirmed that operations were active across multiple locations.

"We are working in search and rescue of the stranded people from hills, settlements and river areas," he said.

Source: YEN.com.gh