Official: There is a good chance that the trapped workers in Nepal's hydropower plant are still alive

A Nepal Electricity Authority official stated on Wednesday that there is a high chance of finding dozens alive after being trapped for a week in an underground chamber.

Amhsu Kiran Shahi is a member of the board of the Nepal Electricity Authority. He said: "In Rasuwagadhi we believe 46 people are trapped inside a tunnel-like room."

"We are confident that they will be alive in one week, because they have water and food over there."

Nepali authorities have so far rescued 279 from hydropower plants that were flooded by an unprecedented flood of mud, rock and debris. This was caused by a glacial slide near the border with China.

Rescue teams from Nepal, India, and China are still digging for survivors in the tunnels connected to hydropower projects.

'GOING AGAIN'

The Rasuwagadhi Hydroelectric Project, a 111 megawatt facility in the hard-hit Rasuwa District, is located in a mountainous valley about 5 km away from Nepal's China border.

This is the only project that allows you to walk through the tunnel. Shahi stated that the army had tried to do this three days earlier, but were unable to find room. "We're going back in."

According to Raja Ram Basnet, Nepal's Army spokesman, rescuers are looking for survivors who may be trapped in tunnels at various locations where powerhouses provide rooms and spaces for people to live.

The thick mud at the Upper Trishuli 3A project, another flood-affected facility, took rescuers almost six days to locate the tunnels.

We are expecting survivors in there, because it is said that there is a dry area inside. He said, "We are now trying to break into the tunnel."

We are utilizing every technology that is available in Nepal and are getting help from the Indians, Chinese and Koreans. "We have experts from Australia as well."

According to an estimate from the United Nations Development Programme, at least 2.2 million tonnes of debris were created by the disaster, including rocks, sediment and parts of buildings. This is the equivalent of 6 Empire State Buildings.

(source: Reuters)