Kathmandu, August 30
An Indian team of tunnel experts and the Nepali Army have recovered two bodies from the tunnel of the Chilime Hydropower Project in Rasuwa.
The joint rescue operation began on Sunday after the Indian team arrived in Nepal. Nepali Army spokesperson Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet said the bodies were recovered from about 100 metres inside the tunnel.
“The joint team reached 100 metres into the 250-metre-long tunnel. We could not find any living people up to that point,” Basnet said.
According to Chilime Hydropower Project Chief Executive Officer Baburaja Maharjan, six employees are believed to have been trapped inside the project tunnel.
The rescue operation inside the tunnel began on Sunday following the arrival of the Indian team. The Indian experts had conducted an aerial reconnaissance of the Chilime and Langtang areas by helicopter on Saturday.
The Indian specialist team began the rescue operation on Sunday morning in coordination with an 82-member joint security team comprising personnel from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force.
The teams are using specialised equipment to clear the tunnel and search for workers believed to be trapped inside.
