Rasuwa, September 6
The search for 93 employees and workers missing from the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project has been expanded beyond the project’s powerhouse to nearby forests and difficult mountain terrain.
An eight-member team of experienced rock climbers has been deployed to search areas where workers may have fled to escape the flood, including forests around the Ghattekhola camp.
The project company said it mobilised skilled personnel associated with the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association through its own efforts. An eight-member team from Himalaya Summit Club Pvt Ltd is carrying out ground searches in the area.
According to company secretary Narnath Neupane, the team initially searched around Timure before being flown by helicopter to Ghattekhola, where it continued the search from 7:30 am on Saturday.
“We suspect that some may have fled uphill into the forest to escape the flood,” Neupane said. “Most of those who fled towards the forest have already made contact, but we are searching to see whether anyone was injured while fleeing and may be stranded somewhere, unable to walk.”
Some people who fled the project site during the flood and reached forests and higher ground have already been accounted for. However, the company said the search was being continued because some workers could have been injured and become trapped in the forest or other difficult areas.
The search team is focusing on possible escape routes, places where people could have taken shelter and hard-to-reach sections of the surrounding hills.
The expanded search follows an operation inside the project’s powerhouse on Saturday.
A Nepal Army rescue team, accompanied by former project employee and senior geologist and tunnel expert Bishnu Shiwakoti, reached the project site in four helicopters after conducting a reconnaissance of the area.
The rescue team entered the powerhouse after clearing debris and searched around the control room and other sections of the building. However, the control room was found completely buried under mud and silt.
Mud, debris and pieces of timber carried by the flood had reached above the level of the overhead travelling (EOT) crane, according to the company.
The company had estimated that between four and 14 people could have been trapped inside the powerhouse. However, Saturday’s search did not find anyone.
The rescue team has since left the powerhouse, while the focus has shifted to areas outside the building, particularly forests and surrounding mountainous terrain.
A total of 93 employees and workers involved in the project remain missing following the flood. Seven other workers who were at the project site have already been rescued.
