No Survivors Found Inside Rasuwagadhi Tunnel After Flood; Three On-Duty Employees Remain Missing

Following the flood in Rasuwa Bhotekoshi, the Nepalese Army has reported that no individuals were found during the search inside the tunnel of the Rasuwagadhi Hydroelectric Project. The three employees—Kishor Nyaupane, Santosh Paudel, and Chiring Tamang—who were on duty inside the underground powerhouse during the flood remain unreachable. According to the project authorities, 93 employees and laborers, including company staff, daily wage workers, and construction workers, have been missing since the flood event. Kathmandu, 15 Bhadau.

After the impact of the flood on the Rasuwa Bhotekoshi River, the Nepalese Army conducted a search inside the 111-megawatt Rasuwagadhi Hydroelectric Project tunnel fearing that people might be trapped. However, no one was found. Still, the three employees on duty inside the tunnel at the time of the flood are unaccounted for. The search, which extended to the last section of the tunnel, was carried out by the Nepalese Army, project engineers, and drone teams, all of whom reported no signs of human presence. Following the unsuccessful search, the rescue teams returned to Dhunche.

The status of the three employees on duty inside the underground powerhouse remains unknown, raising questions regarding their whereabouts during the flood. The Army’s claim of no one found inside the tunnel contrasts with the fact that three employees who were on duty there remain unreachable, casting doubts on the government’s search-and-rescue operations. A project official confirmed that all three were on duty inside the underground powerhouse when the flood occurred.

The employees on duty during the flood were Kishor Nyaupane from Palpa, Santosh Paudel from Pyuthan, and Chiring Tamang from Rasuwa. Their situations have yet to be clarified. While the search and rescue teams have declared no survivors, hundreds of other employees and laborers were working in the external areas of the project at the time of the flood. According to project officials, 93 employees and laborers remain missing since the flood.