Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Nepali Army (NA) has said that search and rescue operations inside tunnels of hydropower projects damaged by the floods will continue until a breakthrough is achieved.
Speaking at a press conference organised by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) on Monday, Brigadier General Subash Jung Thapa said search and rescue operations inside the tunnels were being carried out and would not stop unless the government decides to stop the operations.
The NA estimates that around 121 people may be trapped at flood-affected hydropower projects.
Thapa said a search and rescue team, along with representatives of the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project, had reached the powerhouse and control point and conducted searches.
Similarly, army personnel equipped with rescue equipment have been continuously searching the powerhouse and tunnel of the Trishuli-3A hydropower project, he said.
“At Trishuli-3B, army personnel entered through Audit 2 tunnel and exited through Audit 1 tunnel. Work is also underway to clear a passage through the Audit 2 tunnel wide enough to bring in excavators and other equipment,” Thapa said.
He added that a joint team, including foreign personnel, has been removing mud with the help of equipment in a tunnel of the Chilime Hydropower Project, while a team including foreign personnel has carried out further searches at the Upper Trishuli-1 project.
Thapa said an assessment of the damage to the hydropower project tunnels suggested that the floodwater and mud may have descended at a speed of around 180 kilometres per hour.
