On the 3rd (local time), the 9th day since a major flood struck the Himalayan mountainous region bordering Nepal and China, rescue authorities are focusing on finding dozens of missing people who may have survived trapped in a hydroelectric power plant.
According to Reuters on this day, Nepalese rescue teams are attempting to search four tunnels among the hydroelectric power plant where hundreds of employees are missing.
In particular, search capabilities were gathered considering that there was a possibility that about 90 employees might be trapped alive in two of these tunnels.
Amshu Kiran Shahi, director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, told Reuters that there was still air inside these two tunnels, giving them the best chance of finding survivors.
He said, “There are facilities for communication and rest inside some of the tunnels, and it appears that food and water will remain there,” adding, “I am very confident that there will be survivors in the tunnels.”
In particular, it was reported that in the case of the Trishuli 3A power plant, oxygen pipes are installed, so oxygen is expected to be flowing in the tunnel.
Until the previous day, rescue teams, including the Nepalese military, attempted to search for missing people around several hydroelectric power plant tunnels, but were unable to achieve any significant results due to thick mud, silt, and huge rocks.
But the day before, Nepal's Home Minister Sudan Gurung said authorities had "not lost hope" in finding survivors.
A Nepalese military official who participated in the search operation told Reuters, "We are searching all tunnels. Search and rescue operations will continue as long as there is hope of finding survivors. Even if there are no survivors, the bodies will be recovered."
Rescue teams recovered two bodies from a tunnel at the Langtang Kola Hydroelectric Power Plant on this day, Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said.
As of this day, the number of deaths from major floods in Nepal as counted by the Nepal Disaster Management Agency has increased to at least 1,259.
The number of deaths in China also increased to at least 21, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,280.
The number of missing people totaled 5,624, including 5,083 in Nepal and 541 in China. The number of missing people in Nepal increased rapidly by about 1,000 people in one day.
In Nepal, as power and communication are gradually restored and the number of areas where communication was lost is decreasing, the number of casualties recorded in official figures is also increasing.
The scale of casualties on the Chinese side has not changed over the past few days. However, the day before, Chinese rescue authorities secured a land rescue passage leading to the core damaged area of Keelung Trade District, Xitrang (Tibet) Autonomous Region, and rescue teams entered the scene, confirming additional damage.
According to the Nepal Disaster Management Agency, about 1.6 million people, or about 5% of Nepal's total population, were affected by this major flood, and about 3,700 households and 14,000 people are stranded due to the loss of roads and bridges.
In addition, about 7,500 houses were completely lost or buried in mud, and it is estimated that about 20,000 new houses will need to be built, adding those that remain but are in an uninhabitable condition.
In addition, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that with the medical system collapsing due to major flooding, about 4,430 pregnant women in the affected areas, including Rasuwa and Nuakot, are at risk of having difficulty giving birth safely.
In addition, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that at least 22,000 children are in urgent need of safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene products.
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah said that the government is working to restore transportation networks, power, and communications that were disrupted by the flood, and that communications services in the affected areas had been restored by about 95% as of the previous day.
Nepalese government sources also reported that Nepalese authorities have decided to upgrade and re-establish the landslide and flood early warning system in the Chinese border area that was lost in the flood.
The Nepal Disaster Management Agency plans to install equipment such as cameras, sensors, and satellite communication systems in Timure, a border town in Rasuwa region.
To this end, it was reported that the area was surveyed by helicopter and the location of equipment was identified.
This system automatically sends a warning message when a landslide or flood is detected.
One official told Reuters, “The terrain is changing after the large-scale disaster, so there is a possibility that additional landslides will occur,” and said it was an urgent situation to prepare a warning system quickly.
Prime Minister Shah's cabinet designated the 7th, the 13th day after the floods, as a day of national mourning, a cabinet spokesperson said. In traditional Hindu funerals, the 13th day marks the end of the official mourning period.
Meanwhile, the Korean Overseas Emergency Relief Team (KDRT), which was dispatched at the request of the Nepalese government and arrived at the site the day before, attempted an aerial search in the area where nine Koreans went missing with the support of two Nepalese army helicopters, but turned back due to the weather.
On this day, KDRT met with the commander of the Nepalese Army in Nuwakot Batar, Bagmati Province, north-central Nepal, where the camp is located, and received two helicopters.
A search was attempted immediately, but the weather was bad, with rain and wind blowing, so they had to return.
A KDRT official said, "We tried to enter the area to be searched (by helicopter), but we had to turn back because visibility was not even 1 meter," and added, "Two helicopters are planning to search the same area again tomorrow, and we plan to discuss (the long-term search plan) with the Nepalese authorities again."
Doosan Energy, one of the construction companies for the Upper Trishuli (UT)-1 hydroelectric power plant where the nine missing Koreans worked, also flew a helicopter that day and searched from the main camp of the power plant to the area downstream of the river.
Previously, searches had been conducted focusing on the office building and the upper weir dam where the missing people were located, but the scope of the search appears to have been expanded as the searches so far did not yield any significant results.
Korea South-East Power Company also deployed 6 unmanned aerial vehicles (Drones) and 2 search dogs to the accident site on this day to continue the search, but the fate of the missing people is still not confirmed.
