Nepalese rescue teams, supported by Chinese and Indian specialists, are working around the clock to reach hundreds of people believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels following last week’s devastating Himalayan floods. The unprecedented torrent of ice, rock, mud and debris struck areas along the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday, after what authorities and experts have linked to a glacier collapse. The disaster has killed nearly 800 people, while more than 3,000 remain missing in Nepal and China. Nepalese officials said rescue teams were focusing on about half a dozen hydropower projects where tunnels became blocked by mud and rocks. The country’s disaster management authority said 933 people were reported missing from hydropower projects in the flood-hit region. Images released by rescue teams showed earth-moving machinery working through the night to clear mud and rocks. Soldiers used torchlight to search a large excavation for an opening into one of the blocked tunnels. Balochistan Two suspected militants killed in Washuk operation “A large amount of debris has been deposited and that is posing us a big challenge to open the tunnels,” Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet told Reuters. “Our main focus is on opening the tunnels,” he said. Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah described the floods as an “unprecedented and devastating natural disaster” and said compiling a full assessment of the damage remained difficult. Despite difficult terrain, adverse weather and continuing risks, Mr Shah said authorities were continuing rescue efforts. Nearly 21,000 security personnel, along with civilian workers and volunteers, were involved in the operations, he said in a Facebook post. Nepalese authorities reported 788 deaths and about 2,500 missing people as of Sunday night. More than 900 people among those missing were linked to hydropower projects. Across the border in China, authorities said 16 people had died in Gyirong County and 546 remained missing. Beijing has also reported that 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries were unaccounted for in Tibet near a major border crossing with Nepal. China’s state broadcaster CCTV said more than 2,100 rescue workers had been deployed and that at least 220 million yuan ($33m) had been allocated for relief efforts. Chinese authorities have also been using drones and life-detection equipment while airdropping supplies and equipment to rescue teams. India and China assist tunnel rescue Nepal has said it does not require foreign assistance for general search-and-rescue operations, but has sought specialist expertise from neighbouring India and China for the complex tunnel operations. Rescue efforts have been repeatedly interrupted by bad weather and concerns about further flooding from a lake formed by debris near the Nepal-China border. Officials said conditions improved on Monday, allowing rescue work to accelerate in Rasuwa, one of the districts worst affected by the disaster. In the town of Devighat, residents returned to the remains of their homes along the Trishuli River, searching through mud and debris for belongings. Hundreds of bodies have already been recovered, with many unidentified victims buried in shallow graves after rapid decomposition in the humid conditions. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV attributed the disaster to glacier instability linked to long-term global warming, describing it as an emerging feature of climate-related disasters on the Tibetan plateau. Two Nepalese officials told Reuters that China had shared limited information on glacier risks and water levels following a meeting earlier this year aimed at strengthening cooperation. They said the lack of information-sharing could make it harder for Nepal to prepare for future disasters. China’s Foreign Ministry has not responded to Reuters’ request for comment on the meeting. According to CCTV, Chinese scientists found that the mudslide travelled from the Nepalese side to the Gyirong border crossing in six to seven minutes. Dramatic footage from the area showed huge waves of muddy water and debris sweeping through buildings as people attempted to escape. Post navigation Khamenei: Iran’s Supreme Leader urges Muslim unity against ‘real enemy’
