Government Delays Increase Risks in Rescue Operations, Raising the Likelihood of Major Losses

After the flood, 894 employees and workers remain missing from hydropower projects including Trishuli 3B, Chilime, Langtang, and others. Delays of seven days in rescue efforts have led the Nepali Army, foreign teams, private sector, and technical associations to complain about the lack of necessary equipment and permits. The government has now authorized the companies involved to deploy technical personnel and equipment for search and rescue operations. Kathmandu, 16 Bhadra.

“We have been here since Friday. We have repeatedly urged the government. They are making efforts, but so far it feels like nothing concrete has been done. For the Trishuli 3B rescue, we attempted to bring an excavator since Friday, but it only arrived on Monday. Initially, we were told the area was too swampy to enter, but on Monday we found a way inside. Therefore, we need to bring in more personnel and excavators to continue the rescue; about two to three hundred workers and four to five excavators are necessary,” said Vivek Pandey, son of team leader engineer Kamal Pandey, who is still missing in Trishuli 3B. Vivek is hopeful his father is alive and awaits news in Nuwakot.

The first 72 hours of tunnel rescue are considered the “golden hour,” during which successful operations can save many lives. However, even after a week has passed, the government has yet to succeed in the rescue effort. In Trishuli 3B alone, 198 employees and laborers remain unreachable. Full-scale rescue operations have not commenced. Currently, only one excavator from the Nepal Electricity Authority’s subsidiary company involved in the project has arrived at the site. Attempts to send more excavators and equipment are still underway but have not yet succeeded.

Thousands of families and colleagues like Vivek Pandey await news of their relatives missing in the Trishuli corridor’s hydropower projects. However, the government has not succeeded in rescuing those trapped inside the tunnel even after seven days. Bhairaja Maharjan, Chief Executive Officer of Chilime Hydropower Department, reported that technical staff are still unrecovered. “Nepali and Indian army teams entered the tunnel yesterday and today, but the landslide remains uncleared. Essential equipment including excavators has not yet arrived,” he explained.