Nepal Tunnel Rescue: Controlled Blast Targets Blockage As Hundreds Remain Trapped
Official estimates on Monday placed the overall death toll past 900, with over 4,200 people reported missing across both regions: Reports
Rescue teams on Monday carried out a controlled, low-yield blast in the early hours to breach a massive blockage at the Upper Trishuli-3A hydropower project in Nepal’s Rasuwa-Nuwakot region, intensifying efforts to reach hundreds of workers trapped inside following catastrophic floods.
The targeted explosion, triggered at around 2:00 am local time, was aimed at fracturing heavy reinforced concrete slabs, giant boulders, and mud that had sealed the tunnel’s outer structure and intake entrance. Officials clarified that the blast was calibrated to clear the obstruction without compromising the structural integrity of the tunnel shaft itself.
Immediately following the blast, rescue personnel deployed excavators and heavy pneumatic drills to dig nearly 10 metres through the newly created opening, clearing out sludge, rocks, and water. Simultaneously, high-capacity ventilation systems were pressed into service to pump fresh air into the underground tunnels to sustain potential survivors.
The complex subterranean rescue is part of a massive multi-agency operation mounted in the wake of the devastating flash floods and landslides that tore through Nepal and neighbouring Tibet starting August 26.
Official estimates on Monday placed the overall death toll past 900, with over 4,200 people reported missing across both regions. Among the missing are 933 hydropower personnel, many of whom are feared trapped inside subterranean tunnels across the Trishuli-3A and 3B project sites.
Specialised disaster management contingents from the Nepal Army, working alongside technical assistance teams from India, China, and South Korea, continue round-the-clock drilling, earth-moving, and controlled clearing operations to reach the trapped workers.
