Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Nepal Floods Leave Hydropower Workers Trapped as Rescues Continue
A very large flood hit parts of Nepal on August 26.
The water destroyed homes, roads, bridges and parts of hydropower projects.
Many workers had to climb hills or escape through tunnels.
Shiva Giri and six others walked through a forest and spent a night in a cave before being rescued.
About 100 workers at another project also climbed to safety.
Six tunnel workers held onto ladders for about six hours as water entered the tunnel.
Around 280 people have been rescued from tunnels, but many others are still missing or may be trapped.
Rescue teams from Nepal, India and China are using machines and controlled blasts to search for them.
Flash floods devastated northern and central Nepal on August 26, sweeping away homes, roads, bridges and hydropower facilities.
Around 280 people have been rescued from tunnels, while hundreds of workers remain unaccounted for or are believed trapped.
Mailung Hydropower worker Shiva Giri and six others escaped uphill before being evacuated by helicopter to Kathmandu.
About 100 employees fled the Upper Trishuli-1 project after an emergency warning, while other workers survived for hours inside a flooded tunnel.
At Upper Trishuli-3A, a 90-member rescue team used ropes, heavy equipment and blasting to reach a buried tunnel.
- Who
- Workers at Nepal's hydropower projects, Nepali Army rescuers, and expert teams from India and China.
- What
- Flash floods killed hundreds, left thousands missing, and caused rescue operations for workers believed trapped in tunnels.
- When
- The disaster occurred on August 26; rescue operations and survivor accounts were reported on Monday, September 1.
- Where
- Northern and central Nepal, including hydropower projects in Rasuwa and Nuwakot and areas around the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers.
- Why
- The floods were believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border.
- People rescued from tunnels
- Around 280
- Disaster date
- August 26
- Upper Trishuli-3A rescue team
- 90 members
- Tunnel opening created
- Six square feet
- Tunnel location
- The tunnel mouth was located about 40 metres upstream and eight metres below a vertical opening.
- Upper Trishuli-1 evacuation climb
- Workers climbed for seven to eight hours before reaching a road.
- Ramchandra's tunnel ordeal
- He and five colleagues moved between roof ladders for about six hours as water entered the tunnel.
