The number of missing people in Nepal has risen sharply following last week’s catastrophic floods, with more than 4,200 unaccounted for by authorities — up from about 2,500 a day ago. When figures from China are included, the total death toll now stands at 919, with 4,793 missing on both sides of the border.
Nepali authorities say the search for workers who could be trapped inside hydropower tunnels is now the “highest priority.” More than 900 workers at various projects are missing.
Rescue crews and foreign specialists are racing to find scores of workers feared trapped alive inside hydropower tunnels in Nepal, after thick mud buried the facilities during last week’s devastating flash floods.
At least 933 workers are missing at various hydropower projects that run along the Trishuli river, which winds through multiple districts in the remote and mountainous area, according to the country’s disaster agency.
It’s not clear how many of those workers were inside the deep and heavily reinforced tunnels when the water hit. It’s also unclear how many of them may be still alive, with search and rescue efforts complicated by poor weather, mud, and the loss of critical infrastructure like roads and bridges.
Nepal and its superpower neighbors, China and India, have invested heavily in hydropower projects across the Himalayas in recent years, hoping to harness the vast energy potential of its raging rivers.
Source: CNN
