Kathmandu, 8 Sep: Search and rescue operations inside tunnels of hydropower projects damaged by the Bhotekoshi floods will continue until a “breakthrough” is achieved. The Nepali Army has estimated that around 121 people may be trapped inside tunnels of the damaged hydropower projects and said that search and rescue operations will continue until a breakthrough is made, unless the government instructs them to stop.
Speaking at a press conference organized by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) on Monday, Brigadier General Subash Jung Thapa said that the search inside the tunnels would continue unless the government decided to halt the operation.
“Search and rescue operations will not stop until a breakthrough is achieved. We will continue to mobilize our teams intensively for search and rescue,” Thapa said.
He said that searches were being conducted at all possible locations to determine the condition of people who might be trapped inside tunnels of flood-affected hydropower projects. Rescue teams have also been clearing obstacles along the routes leading into the tunnels while searching for possible signs of life.
Search Efforts Challenging
Brigadier General Thapa said that the Army’s search and rescue team, along with representatives of the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project, had reached the powerhouse and control point of the project.
According to him, the search inside the tunnels has become challenging after the floods damaged various structures of the hydropower project. However, the Army is prepared to continue the search until the extent of possible human casualties is confirmed.
The search inside the tunnels has now entered the most sensitive phase of the rescue operation. Since the actual condition inside cannot be determined solely by assessing the damage visible from outside, rescue teams are conducting systematic searches in different sections of the tunnels.
The Nepali Army has divided its search and rescue operations in disaster-affected areas into three sectors: air, ground and tunnel operations. The Army said that personnel and resources have been mobilized across all three fronts to carry out search and rescue operations.
Army spokesperson Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet said that search and rescue operations were being carried out in coordination and cooperation with all relevant agencies involved in disaster response, in accordance with the instructions of the Government of Nepal.
“Along with search and rescue in the flood-affected areas, work for rehabilitation has been divided into three sectors: aerial, ground, and tunnel search and rescue. We will continue the operation until the final results are obtained,” he said.
He said that the Army was also cooperating with foreign rescue personnel who had arrived in Nepal to assist with the tunnel search. Technical assistance from both Nepali and foreign rescue personnel was being utilized amid difficult geographical conditions, flood-damaged structures and risks inside the tunnels.
The Nepali Army, which has been deployed in the disaster rescue operation, has also reported that 45 of its own personnel remain missing. According to Brigadier General Basnet, the search for the missing soldiers is also continuing.
Alternative Routes for Rescue and Relief
Dr. Dharmaraj Upreti, Executive Chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said that relief supplies had reached most flood-affected areas.
He said that relief delivery had been difficult in some areas requiring aerial access because helicopters were currently being given priority for search and rescue operations. According to Dr. Upreti, efforts were being made to use accessible locations such as Trishuli and Rasuwa as bases and transport food and other relief materials from there to affected areas.
He said that arrangements for relief distribution had been made through continuous coordination with local governments and that search and rescue operations were continuing in disaster-affected areas. He added that necessary assistance was also being sought through coordination with neighboring countries.
The authority said that all available state mechanisms had been mobilized for search and rescue and relief operations. Security agencies have been deployed around the clock, with rescue, relief and disaster-management activities continuing in the affected areas.
