KATHMANDU: The Indian tunnel rescue team, who are continuing to work alongside with Nepalese Army have made a temporary track inside the Chilime tunnel in flood-hit Rasuwa district to allow more heavy equipment to reach the affected areas, authorities said on Saturday.
The teams also dug deeper on Friday to drain out water, which was hampering the rescue operations.
"The Indian tunnel rescue team, working alongside the Nepali Army, dug deeper into the Chilime tunnel yesterday, draining out water. A temporary track is also being made to allow more heavy equipment to reach the tunnel, and doctors with the team held a health camp for the local community," Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said in a post on X on Saturday.
India has deployed specialised teams to assist Nepal following the devastating flash floods of August 26, which swept through northern and central parts of the country, killing 1,344 people, leaving thousands missing and destroying homes, roads and bridges and hydropower projects.
Expert teams from India and China are assisting Nepal's rescue teams in tracing workers and employees who have remained unaccounted for at various hydropower project sites since the disaster, with many believed to be trapped inside tunnels.
The flash floods were believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border. A total of 4,898 people remain missing.
The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.
At least 900 workers are missing from a dozen hydropower projects in Nepal, with about 500 believed to be inside tunnels, officials said.
The Chilime hydropower project site is located near Syabrubesi village in the Rasuwa district, which was severely affected by the devastating flash floods in Nepal on August 26.
According to a report presented by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) on Friday, the devastating flash floods have affected more than 32,000 people and damaged roads, bridges, schools and healthcare facilities.