KATHMANDU: Rescue efforts for workers and engineers trapped inside the Upper Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project tunnel have made progress, with a joint rescue team reaching the tunnel’s main section.
Nepali Army engineers have carried out drilling and blasting operations to establish access to the tunnel. A 90-member joint team, comprising 66 Nepali Army personnel, a specialised search and rescue team with trained dogs, 18 Armed Police Force personnel and six Nepal Police personnel, has been deployed at the site.
The team reached the tunnel’s crown head at around 2 pm on Sunday and created an opening measuring approximately 2 by 3 feet.
Rescuers then descended through the opening using ropes. However, when they called out to the people believed to be trapped inside, there was no response.
Following the lack of a response, rescuers have intensified efforts by widening the opening and using heavy equipment and controlled blasting to gain further access to the tunnel.
Authorities believe that establishing access to the tunnel will accelerate the search and rescue operation.
Efforts are also underway to supply air and oxygen necessary for the survival of those trapped inside. Oxygen had already been sent into the tunnel through a vertical opening.
Technical teams are also attempting to establish contact and assess the condition of those inside as part of preparations for the rescue operation.
Access to the project site had become more difficult after floods damaged the road leading to the area. The Nepali Army transported excavators and bulldozers to Battar in Nuwakot, dismantled the equipment and flew it by helicopter to the project site.
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