India, Nepal rescuers near final push at Chilime tunnel

Nepal and India’s joint rescue teams have reached the final stage of efforts to clear the blocked portion of the Chilime tunnel and reach an underground powerhouse, where six workers are believed to be trapped, authorities said.

The tunnel face is being cleared using wheel loaders. Once the blocked section is cleared, the Indian and Nepalese rescue teams will move further inside the tunnel to reach and rescue the workers, they said.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said on Monday that the joint team had continued work to clear the remaining blocked section of the tunnel using excavators and loaders.

The operation faced unexpected challenges, including an inflow of water from inside the tunnel and the presence of large boulders, he said. The teams are using mud pumps to remove the water, Srivastava said, adding that the clearing work was expected to continue on Tuesday to reach the powerhouse.

Flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, killing around 1,400 people, while more than 5,000 remain missing. The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.