Kathmandu [Nepal], September 3 – Technical rescue team including personnel from the Nepali Army is set to enter the Langtang Hydropower Project’s tunnel on Thursday to rescue workers believed to be trapped inside following the devastating flood.
The decision comes after a joint search by the Army and technical personnel from the hydropower project identified the likely location of the missing workers.
Project promoter Bijay Mohan Bhattarai said the rescue team will enter the tunnel through a hole created in the penstock pipe allowing access to the underground section where the workers are believed to be trapped.
The government had earlier permitted the project operator to assist in the rescue operation. Acting on recommendations from the project’s technical team the Army drilled through the turbine to create an opening and detected possible signs from inside, according to Bhattarai.
“Some smell came from inside when the hole was drilled on Wednesday,” Bhattarai said, adding that this strengthened the conclusion that the workers may be trapped in that location.
The Army began the search and rescue operation on Tuesday the eighth day after the floods, with technical assistance from the hydropower project.
As many as 41 workers associated with the project remain out of contact. One body was recovered on Monday, according to the project authorities.
The Langtang Hydropower Project has a 150-metre-long access tunnel, where rescue efforts are now being intensified to reach those still unaccounted for.
