Death toll reaches 1,118 as rescuers race to reach 46 workers trapped in tunnel
Officials say there is a possibility that workers inside the Rasuwagadhi hydropower tunnel remain alive, but rocks, mud and damaged access routes are slowing the operation.
KATHMANDU: A week after catastrophic floods swept through northern Nepal, the confirmed death toll has risen to at least 1,118 and more than 3,900 people remain missing. Rescue attention is now centred on hydropower tunnels, including Rasuwagadhi, where 46 workers are believed to be trapped.
The numbers remain provisional and may change as Nepalese authorities reconcile district, hospital and missing-person records.
Why officials believe some workers could still be alive
The latest operation is focused on the 111-megawatt Rasuwagadhi Hydroelectric Project in Rasuwa district. Officials believe 46 workers may have reached a room-like underground area when the flood struck.
A narrow but important window of hope
A Nepal Electricity Authority official said the workers could have access to stored food and water inside the underground structure. However, rescuers have not established direct communication, and their condition has not been independently confirmed.
Search teams have entered approximately 150 metres into the Rasuwagadhi tunnel. Their progress has been stopped by large rocks and heavy debris blocking the route, forcing teams to use specialist drilling, breaking and detection equipment.
Search expands across multiple hydropower sites
Rasuwagadhi is only one of several damaged hydropower locations along the flood-hit corridor. Around 639 people associated with affected projects remain missing, while the Nepali Army says 279 people were rescued from hydropower sites following the disaster.
- A joint team of 25 rescuers has entered approximately 150 metres into the Langtang Hydropower tunnel.
- Search work continues at Upper Trishuli-3A, where mud and damaged access points are obstructing movement.
- International specialists from India, China, South Korea and Australia are supporting Nepalese teams.
- Helicopters are being used to transport personnel, equipment and evacuees through areas where roads and bridges have been destroyed.
Nepal Army continues evacuations from Rasuwa
The Nepal Army is moving stranded residents, injured people and travellers from vulnerable locations to safer areas. Helicopters remain essential because several communities are difficult to reach by road.
Evacuation flights are also delivering supplies and moving rescue personnel into the disaster zone. Authorities must balance these missions with tunnel operations, medical evacuations and searches across isolated river valleys.
River searches continue far downstream
Search operations have extended beyond the main flood zone because the force of the water carried people and debris far downstream. In Chitwan, Armed Police Force personnel are searching the Narayani River for missing victims.
Teams are navigating muddy water and searching riverbanks, islands and debris deposits. The work is difficult because water levels and currents remain unpredictable, while the search area covers a large distance.
Some missing tourists re-establish contact
Nepal’s Foreign Ministry says 324 foreign nationals have been rescued, while about 590 people from 39 countries remain unaccounted for. Five Australians who had been listed as missing have contacted authorities, reducing Australia’s missing count from 43 to 38.
Nepal reports that 324 foreign citizens have been brought to safety or re-established contact.
Forensic specialists are collecting DNA and personal information to identify victims and reconcile missing lists.
Displaced residents are being housed in monasteries, schools and community facilities supported by local donations.
Families have begun holding rites for missing relatives whose bodies have not been recovered.
India’s rescue and forensic assistance
163 Indian nationals rescued
India’s Ministry of External Affairs says 163 Indians have been rescued in Nepal. A 19-member Indian forensic team is assisting with DNA-based identification in Kathmandu, while a specialist tunnel-rescue team is working at Chilime. Another 151 Indian nationals have departed from China.
India has supplied technical equipment and humanitarian assistance through multiple relief flights. The tunnel team is operating in difficult marshy and debris-filled conditions where conventional movement and machinery are restricted.
Latest operational picture
Forty-six workers are believed trapped; teams have reached about 150 metres but are blocked by rocks.
A 25-member joint rescue team has entered approximately 150 metres into the tunnel.
Nepal Army helicopters continue transferring residents and stranded people from Dhunche and nearby areas.
Armed Police Force teams are searching the Narayani River for victims carried downstream.
Experts from India, China, South Korea and Australia are assisting Nepalese rescue and recovery operations.
What happens next?
The immediate priority is removing the blockage inside Rasuwagadhi and determining whether the underground room can be reached safely. Teams must also continue parallel searches at other hydropower sites, evacuate isolated communities and recover victims from downstream rivers.
Even if the tunnel operation succeeds, Nepal faces a long recovery. The flood produced an estimated 2.2 million tonnes of debris and caused extensive damage to roads, bridges, settlements and hydropower infrastructure.
