Indian Army’s best experts and technical manpower has been busy in search and rescue operations at the site of mud-filled tunnels at Nepal’s Trushuli-3A Hydroelectric project.
Till the last reports came-in, there is no news of any survivors among the 900 odd workers believed to have been trapped inside the tunnel when flash floods ripped apart the valley at the Tibet-Nepal border.
Rescue operators are using explosives, heavy machinery and air pumps to clear the tunnels and search for survivors.
A senior officer from the Nepal’s disaster management authority informed media that 939 people have died, and 3,925 are missing, including 592 foreign nationals.
So far, 279 people have been rescued from hydropower sites, while more than 11,000 people have been rescued across the country.
Apart from India and Nepal the rescue operation is being supported by Chinese military teams, alongside with groups from South Korea and Australia.
Severe flooding and landslides have made it difficult for rescuers to locate the buried tunnels. India has sent specialised teams to help with both rescue operations and the identification of victims.
A 19-member Indian forensic team began work in Kathmandu, assisting with DNA testing to identify recovered remains.
All India Radio was reporting that an Indian tunnel-rescue team is also working at hydropower sites in Chilime and Langtang.
Experts are helping Nepalese authorities search for 933 workers and employees who have been missing since August 26, with many believed to be trapped inside the tunnels.
At least 11 hydropower projects were damaged by the floods.
Families say rescue efforts have been too slow and are urging authorities to act quickly.
Downstream in Chitwan, nearly 300 bodies have been recovered from rivers. Many remain unidentified, so authorities are using DNA testing.
Due to a shortage of freezers, some bodies have been temporarily buried until they can be identified.
Nepal has asked several countries for help, including freezers, DNA-testing equipment, drones, bridges and specialised tunnel-rescue tools.
A team of 18 Indian forensic experts is assisting with DNA identification. In Tibet, Chinese state media reports 16 deaths and 546 missing people.
China has rejected claims that its hydropower projects caused the disaster, calling such allegations malicious speculation. The floods, believed to have been triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border, have caused widespread destruction, damaging homes, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure across Nepal.
