Hundreds of workers feared trapped in Nepal hydropower tunnels after catastrophic flooding

A catastrophic flash flood triggered by a Himalayan glacier collapse has killed over 1,000 people across Nepal and China. At least 900 hydropower workers are missing, with up to 600 feared trapped inside mud-filled tunnels. An international rescue coalition is deploying drones, drilling equipment, and air pumps to locate survivors, though efforts are severely hampered by blocked roads and thick debris. The disaster has damaged 12 hydropower projects and exposed critical gaps in Nepal's emergency rescue capabilities.

Nepal-China flash flood disaster

• ▪A catastrophic flash flood on August 26, 2026, killed over 1,000 people across Nepal and China and left thousands more missing.
• ▪The August 26, 2026, flash flood was triggered when bedrock collapsed underneath a glacier in the Himalayan region, causing a portion of the glacier to collapse.
• ▪The Himalayan glacier rockfall on August 26, 2026, was so extreme that it registered as a magnitude-5.2 seismic event.

Hydropower tunnel worker entrapment

• ▪At least 900 workers are missing from hydropower projects in Nepal, with approximately 500 to 600 believed to be trapped inside mud-filled tunnels.
• ▪At the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district, at least 576 people are missing, with about 300 believed to be trapped inside the tunnel.
• ▪Nine South Korean workers went missing at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower plant construction site in Nepal following the August 26, 2026, flash flood.

Tunnel rescue operations

• ▪An international rescue team comprising Chinese and Nepalese military personnel, alongside experts from India, South Korea, and Australia, is searching for the trapped workers.
• ▪Rescuers at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant bored a hole to pump in air and drop down food to as many as 100 workers who may have survived.
• ▪Geologist Arnold Dix stated that advanced satellites were required during the first two days of the rescue operation just to locate the buried power stations.
• ▪South Korea dispatched a 44-member rapid response team with five search dogs and specialized equipment to join the search at the Upper Trishuli-1 site.

Worker survival accounts

• ▪Hydropower worker Pemba Dundu Tamang escaped the Upper Trishuli 3B tunnel after a sudden gust of air dislodged machinery and river water chased him for 20 minutes.
• ▪Ram Chandra and five colleagues escaped the flooded Trishuli river tunnel by gripping rungs on the roof and using a tin sheet under their feet for six hours.
• ▪Madan Singh Budha escaped the Upper Trishuli tunnel number 2 by running up a rocky hill and holding onto grass to avoid being swept away.

Nepal hydropower infrastructure vulnerability

• ▪Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated that the disaster indicates that risks in the Himalayan region are increasing alongside climate change.
• ▪The flash floods damaged at least 12 hydropower projects in Nepal's Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, representing a combined capacity of 670 megawatts.
• ▪Disaster risk reduction expert Anil Pokhrel stated that the disaster exposed weaknesses in Nepal's rescue capacity, noting a lack of heavy equipment and trained personnel.