The first visuals from tunnels in Nepal's flood-hit Rasuwa district have shown the difficult conditions facing rescue teams searching for people trapped underground after the devastating flash floods.
The footage from one tunnel shows water seeping through the walls, creating what appears to be a rain-like effect inside the passage. Rescue personnel can be seen using torch lights as they make their way through the flooded structure.
At least six trapped inside tunnel
The particular tunnel shown in the visuals is around 250 metre long, and at least six people are believed to remain trapped inside. Rescuers had reached around 130 metre into the tunnel when the visuals were recorded.
Other images and videos show rescue teams navigating the tunnels and working around the hydropower project sites in the region.
Rasuwa and Nuwakot have several hydropower projects, with at least 11 sites identified in the affected areas. Five of these are still under construction. Officials fear the number of people stranded could be higher because individual projects may have multiple tunnels and some workers may not be formally registered.
Survivors who spoke to HT said those trapped include people from Nepal, India, China, South Korea and Germany.
India sends tunnelling experts
India has sent a team of tunnelling experts to Nepal to assist with rescue operations, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday.
“The main thing is that in one place where there is a hydroelectric project, there could be possibility of people who may be a tunnel. So, we are sending a team to help with the experts in tunneling,” Jaishankar said.
He added that 85 Indians were rescued in Nepal on Friday, while 315 remained out of contact.
Jaishankar said India had offered Nepal “a range of support offers”, which Kathmandu was evaluating. India was also sending bridges that “can be quickly put together along with a team.”
“There may be some medical teams also going out there. If they require NDRF people to go, we will send them,” Jaishankar said.
Two aircraft carrying relief supplies had already been sent, with another planned later that day.
Nepal flood toll crosses 600
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said at least 675 people had died in the disaster, while 2,426 remained unaccounted for.
The missing include hundreds of foreign nationals from India, Malaysia, Australia and the US, as rescue teams continue efforts to reach affected communities and hydropower sites.