Nepal Flood Survivors Trapped in Tunnels Amidst Rescue Challenges

Kathmandu. Following the devastating flood and landslide in Nepal in August 2083 BS, large amounts of mud, stones, and debris have entered the tunnels of hydropower projects in Rasuwa and Nuwakot. Hundreds of workers are feared missing or trapped inside the tunnels. Rescue teams are using methods such as excavators, controlled explosions, drilling, and sending oxygen and cameras through pipes to clear the tunnels.

In this context, Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated that 'there is no expertise and technology in the world to rescue from tunnels filled with mud'. The main intention of his statement might be that there is no single 'ready-made' technology readily available and usable for the extremely complex situation currently seen in Nepal. However, his argument that 'there is no such rescue expertise or technology in the world' appears to be very misleading and fabricated. Some unprecedented rescue incidents in the world themselves refute this: