RASUWA: Three intact bodies and a human body part were recovered from the powerhouse area of the Chilime Hydropower Centre during a search operation on Wednesday.
The bodies and human remains were found by a search and rescue team led by the Nepali Army and involving the Armed Police Force, Nepal Electricity Authority personnel and a team from the Indian Army.
Rasuwa Chief District Officer Kamal Prasad Pandey confirmed that the bodies were recovered during the search and rescue operation.
According to Pandey, the massive flood in the Bhotekoshi River on Bhadra 10 swept away buildings and walls within the Chilime Hydropower Centre premises. The flood also blocked the centre’s tunnel, making the rescue operation for employees trapped inside particularly challenging.
The search and rescue team, led by the Nepali Army, has continued searching the tunnel and powerhouse area while clearing mud with excavators. Pandey said three intact bodies and a human body part were recovered on Wednesday.
Senior assistant at the centre Kamal Bahadur Kharel said six employees—one engineer, two supervisors, two security guards and an office assistant—were working the morning shift at the Chilime Hydropower Centre when the flood struck on Bhadra 10.
Search operations had been underway to determine the condition of employees believed to be trapped inside the tunnel. The rescue team has entered the tunnel and continues its search and rescue operation.
According to CDO Pandey, the Nepali Army has stationed a helicopter at Dhunche, the district headquarters, to support the rescue of employees trapped inside the tunnel. The condition inside the tunnel and the extent of damage caused by the flood have made the rescue operation more challenging.
Meanwhile, five bodies were recovered on Wednesday from the audit tunnel of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa. According to Rasuwa Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashok Thapa, the bodies were found about 800 metres inside the tunnel toward Daldung Khola in Uttargaya Rural Municipality-1.
The flood in the Bhotekoshi River on Bhadra 10 caused extensive damage to seven hydropower projects in Rasuwa and Nuwakot. Search and rescue operations are still continuing, 20 days after the flood.
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