Nepal and China Floods: Hundreds Feared Trapped in Hydropower Tunnels as Death Toll Exceeds 950
As catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-China border push the combined death toll past 950, rescue crews are racing against time to reach hundreds of workers trapped inside mud-filled hydropower tunnels.
The Crisis Inside the Hydropower Infrastructure
The disaster struck last Wednesday, overwhelming regional infrastructure and burying numerous energy installations in thick layers of mud and debris. Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN), stated that at least 900 workers are unaccounted for across the damaged sites, with an estimated 500 trapped inside massive subterranean infrastructure.
These massive structures are engineered to control water flow and access energy generation facilities. According to Jakob Steiner, a geoscientist at the University of Graz in Austria, the spaces are large enough to drive trucks through, offering potential refuge for those caught inside. Rescuers have managed to supply oxygen to some of the trapped workers, but authorities warn that diminishing supplies of food and water make the rescue operation an increasingly desperate race against time.
Rescue Operations and Regional Impacts
Efforts are heavily concentrated on specific developments, such as the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in the hard-hit Rasuwa district, where at least 576 people are reported missing. IPPAN estimates that roughly 300 individuals are confined within that project’s tunnel network. Meanwhile, at the Trishuli-3 Hydropower Project, military personnel are descending approximately 15 meters, or 50 feet, into blocked shafts to locate survivors.
Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, Nepal’s army spokesman, noted that search operations extend across rugged hills, vulnerable settlements, and swollen riverbanks. On the ground, workers shoveling mud from a heavily damaged station in Dhading emphasized the critical nature of the local power grid, which normally supplies electricity to more than 20,000 residents in the surrounding region.
When municipal utilities and critical energy networks suffer catastrophic structural damage, restoring stability requires immediate logistical intervention.
Cross-Border Recovery and Missing Persons Data
The disaster’s footprint spans international boundaries, impacting border communities in both Nepal and China. Nepal’s disaster agency reported 903 confirmed deaths within its borders, alongside 4,247 missing persons, which includes 592 foreign nationals. Across the border, Chinese authorities recorded 16 deaths and 546 missing individuals as of Sunday, with state media indicating that 261 of the missing are foreign citizens, including more than one hundred Nepalis.
On the Chinese side, recovery operations involve extensive engineering work to repair infrastructure leading to the Gyirong Port border crossing. State broadcaster CCTV footage showed heavy machinery and workers repaving roadways submerged under two to three meters of rushing water, which remains dangerously elevated due to ongoing regional rains.