Kathmandu, September 21
Thirty-nine people working at the 216 MW Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa have been found dead, while 439 others remain missing following the devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River on August 26.
According to Nepal Water and Energy Development Company, the project promoter, around 1,433 Nepali and foreign workers were at the project site when the flood occurred. Of them, 877 people have been safely rescued, while 78 others have since made contact. The company confirmed the deaths of 39 people and said 439 remain missing.
The company said the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police, Korean experts and project teams have been conducting search and rescue operations since the flood. The search is being carried out inside underground structures as well as on the surface around the project site, cliffs, villages and other possible locations.
Teams with trained search dogs, mountain rescue personnel and other skilled workers have also been mobilised. As roads leading to the project site were damaged by the flood, helicopters are being used to transport necessary equipment for search and rescue operations.
The main tunnel area has suffered extensive damage from the flood. The company said excavators are being used to remove mud and debris accumulated in the upper section of the project’s access tunnel. Excavators and other equipment required for rescue operations have also been transported to the site by helicopter.
Bodies recovered from the project site are being transported by Nepal Army helicopters to the Nepal Army camp in Bidur, Nuwakot. The company said it is coordinating with the families and relatives of the deceased to facilitate identification and final rites.
The company said potential search areas are identified based on information received from families, details provided by rescued employees and other reliable sources, and the information is then provided to rescue teams.
The company is also coordinating regularly with the government-formed war room, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and electricity development-related agencies.
The company said it is making maximum use of all available resources, equipment, technology and human resources for the search and rescue of those still missing.
