A Glimmer of Hope After Nepal’s Flood Disaster: Dozens May Be Alive in Tunnel

Nepalese authorities said today (Wednesday) that the death toll from the flooding disaster near the border with Tibet has reached 1,000. More than 3,900 people are still missing.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Amshu Kiran Shahi, a board member of the Nepal Electricity Authority, said workers at a power station in the affected area likely sheltered in a room-like space inside a tunnel. According to him, there should be food and water there that could allow them to survive even after a week underground.

"We estimate that 46 people are trapped in a room-like structure inside the tunnel," Shahi said. "We are very confident that they are still alive after a week, because they have food and water in the structure."

So far, however, no contact has been made with the workers, and no direct sign of life has been received from them. As a result, the assessment that they are alive is based on the tunnel’s internal structure, their estimated location, and the supplies believed to be there, not on actual confirmation of their condition.

Rescue teams reached the hydroelectric facility in a mountain valley in Rasuwa District, about five kilometers from Nepal’s border with China. According to Shahi, it is the only power station in the area where it is currently possible to proceed on foot through the tunnel. A Nepal Army unit entered it about three days ago but was unable to find the room where the workers are believed to be located.

According to the Nepalese newspaper "Nagarik News," the 46 missing people include four Chinese workers and 42 Nepalese citizens. Six workers who survived said the tunnel has large ventilation pipes and contains water. On the other hand, power at the site has been cut off, and there are concerns that water, mud, and debris entered through the tunnel entrance, preventing those trapped inside from getting out on their own.