Search of Rasuwagadhi Hydropower tunnel finds no missing workers

A search operation inside a tunnel at the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project in Rasuwa has been completed, with rescuers finding no people inside, the Nepal Army said.

The tunnel, which is approximately 250 metres long, was searched up to a depth of 225 metres by a rescue team using drones. After finding no one inside, the team withdrew from the tunnel.

The search was launched following last Wednesday morning’s devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River, which severely affected the hydropower project and surrounding areas.

According to project engineer Tika Poudel, 93 people associated with the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower remain missing following the disaster. The missing include project chief Santosh Adhikari, 51 employees and 42 workers.

Poudel said most of the missing staff and their family members may have been staying at the project’s residential quarters in Timure when the flood struck suddenly before office hours. At the time, only three employees were reportedly inside the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower tunnel.

Poudel also said that his wife, Kavita Neupane Poudel, a teacher at Nepal Rastriya Basic School in Timure, is among those missing. He said he had survived because he had travelled to Kathmandu two days before the flood to seek treatment for their daughter, but described the loss of his wife and colleagues as an unimaginable tragedy.

Meanwhile, Poudel said he had received information that only six employees were present at the Chilime Hydropower Centre when the disaster occurred.

Authorities continue to assess the extent of the destruction and the whereabouts of those reported missing following the Bhotekoshi flood.

(with inputs from National News Agency)