Kathmandu, 6 Sep: On the 11th day after the Bhotekoshi glacial flood, a rescue team including the Nepali Army successfully rescued Chinese national Lu Haito alive from a tunnel of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa. He had been trapped approximately 225 meters inside the dark tunnel. Two bodies were also recovered from the same tunnel.
Similarly, 64-year-old Chandika Shrestha, who was trapped inside a flood-damaged house in Betrabati, Bidur Municipality-10, Nuwakot, was rescued alive. The Chinese national was brought out of the tunnel following a joint effort by the Nepali Army, foreign technical experts, and project representatives. The Nepali Army said that his health was examined following the rescue.
The rescue has raised fresh hope in the ongoing search for people who may still be trapped inside various tunnels along the Trishuli Corridor following the Bhotekoshi flood. Nepali Army spokesperson Rajaram Basnet said continuous efforts are being made to clear water, mud, soil and rocks and reopen access to the tunnels during search and rescue operations.
“Although the tunnels are blocked, rescuers are continuing their search. Available equipment, technical expertise and manpower have been mobilized to search for people who may still be alive,” he said.
Basnet said a joint team including 20 Nepali Army personnel was still conducting a search inside the tunnel at Haku of the Upper Trishuli-1 project. Using equipment including compressors, the team has reached approximately 250 meters inside the tunnel. Efforts are underway to remove accumulated mud and gain access to additional sections of the tunnel.
Meanwhile, a team from Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force, Nepal, reached the roof of Anandlal Shrestha’s four-story house and heard voices coming from inside during the search and rescue operation. The team, deployed under the command of Police Inspector Mahendra Darnal, made a small opening in the wall and, after hearing cries of “Save me, save me” from inside, successfully rescued the woman.
Nepal Police Central Spokesperson Avinarayan Kafle said security personnel broke through the wall and brought Chandika Shrestha out. Following the rescue, carried out with the assistance of local residents and other security agencies, she was airlifted to Birendra Army Hospital in Chhauni, Kathmandu, by a Nepali Army helicopter for further treatment. She is reportedly able to speak.
Continuous Search Inside Tunnels
Following the flood, joint teams comprising the Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepal, project representatives, foreign technical experts and specialists have been mobilized to search for and rescue people trapped inside hydropower project tunnels along the Trishuli Corridor.
At the Trishuli-3A tunnel, a team comprising 75 Nepali Army personnel, 18 Armed Police Force personnel, Nepal Police personnel and technical experts has been deployed. Earlier, Sanjay Sah of Saptari and Kavin Maharjan of Kirtipur were rescued alive from the same tunnel.
One body was also recovered from the tunnel during the rescue operation. The search is continuing amid concerns that other people may still be trapped inside.
Similarly, the Nepali Army has deployed a team comprising 89 Army personnel, three civilians and the project’s Managing Director at the Trishuli-3B project. Bobcats, generators and other equipment are being used to remove soil, mud and other obstructions accumulated inside the tunnel.
At the Chilime Hydropower tunnel, a team including foreign technical experts is using a mini excavator and mud pump. After removing the accumulated mud, the team has managed to re-enter the tunnel up to approximately 105 meters.
Search and rescue operations have not been limited to tunnels. They have also been expanded across settlements, roads, riverbanks and damaged structures in districts affected by floods and landslides. Searches are also being conducted through foot patrols from Mailung to Syafrubesi.
Emergency treatment centers and medical patrols established in Trishuli and Dhunche have provided health services to 3,266 people so far.
Rescue from the Air
Aerial rescue operations have also been intensified in areas where road connections have been cut off and in remote locations. To facilitate the transportation of rescue teams and relief materials, the engineering unit of the Nepali Army is constructing a bridge over the Tadi River at Devighat in Bidur Municipality-5, Nuwakot.
According to military spokesperson Basnet, a team of 55 personnel has accelerated construction of an Acrow bridge measuring 60 meters in length and 5.5 meters in width, with a load-bearing capacity of 50 tons.
Although the devastation caused by the Bhotekoshi flood is unimaginable, rescue efforts to find survivors have not stopped in several areas. Roads remain blocked, bridges have been swept away, and settlements remain at risk. Water, mud and rocks inside tunnels have created additional challenges for rescuers, but hope has not yet been lost.
Even now, rescuers continue searching every meter of the tunnels along the Trishuli Corridor for possible survivors. From riverbanks to buried houses, and from dark tunnels to roads blocked by landslides, rescuers remain focused on one goal: to continue searching for possible survivors until every last possibility has been exhausted.
