Nepal flash floods: Rescue teams clear 70 metres of debris in tunnel as they close in on six trapped workers

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The Nepali Army conducts a search-and-rescue operation inside the Chilime Hydropower Station tunnel days after deadly flash floods and mudslides in Nepal's Rasuwa district on September 10, 2026. | Photo Credit: AFP

Rescue operations are continuing at Nepal’s Chilime hydropower project, where six workers are believed to be trapped inside a tunnel, with Indian and Nepali teams using heavy machinery to clear mud and debris and advance towards an underground powerhouse.

Also Read: Nepal flash floods wash away illusions of clean, easy hydropower

The operation gathered pace after an excavator, loader, and Bobcat were brought into the tunnel, India’s Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said in an update on Saturday (September 12, 2026). The technical team cleared about 70 metres further, he said.

According to the project manager, the powerhouse is about 60 metres further down the tunnel. The rescue teams were to continue working through the night to reach it, Mr. Srivastava said.

The Border Roads Organisation has also prepared the approach road to the rescue site, according to authorities.

Separately, Nepal’s Army said it had constructed more than a kilometre of access road from Syafrubesi towards the Chilime tunnel, enabling rescue equipment to be taken closer to the site.

The Nepal Army and Indian rescue personnel are jointly working inside the Chilime tunnel, according to a report published in the Khabarhub news portal.

The Army has also prioritised rescue operations at the Upper Trishuli-3B hydropower project, where more than 100 Army personnel have been deployed, the report said.

The Himalayan Times reported on Sunday (September 13, 2026) that Nepali Army personnel were also continuing search-and-rescue operations at the Upper Trishuli-3B project site.

At Chilime, however, there has been no public confirmation that rescuers have established contact with the six workers. Reports indicate that rescuers found a pocket of air near the area where the workers are believed to be trapped, but that does not establish that they are alive or that contact has been made.

Flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, killing nearly 1,400 people, while more than 5,000 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.