RASUWA — Search and rescue teams have recovered 18 bodies from inside the tunnel network of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project, weeks after catastrophic flash floods struck the Bhote Koshi River region.
According to officials, joint security forces and project teams deployed to the site located several bodies trapped inside a steel reinforcement mesh within the project’s Audit-3 tunnel.Rescuers utilizing heavy equipment, including grinders and gas cutters, have been working painstakingly to extract the victims from the mud and debris. While multiple bodies have been retrieved throughout the ongoing operations, formal identifications remain pending.
Authorities and project records indicate that hundreds of workers went missing when the late-August floods inundated the underground structures. Search efforts remain active at select project sites as crews navigate thick layers of slush to account for the missing, though officials note that prolonged delays have extinguished any realistic hope of finding survivors.
