Over 500 workers missing at Nepal hydropower sites after devastating floods

More than 500 workers and employees are still missing at nine hydropower projects in Nepal's Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts following catastrophic floods on August 26, hampering the country's energy infrastructure and raising international concern. According to the Independent Power Producers' Association in Nepal, 898 workers initially went out of contact across the affected sites. While rescue teams have successfully located and evacuated 361 people, 537 remain unaccounted for, with authorities increasingly concerned about those potentially trapped underground.

The most critical situation centres on the 216 MW Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district, where approximately 300 workers are believed to be stranded inside tunnel systems. Rescue operations have faced severe obstacles from collapsed infrastructure, blocked tunnel entrances clogged with mud and debris, and challenging mountainous terrain exacerbated by continuing poor weather conditions.

Nepal has appealed for specialized international assistance from India, China and other countries to mount a coordinated rescue effort. The scale of the humanitarian crisis underscores the vulnerability of Nepal's hydropower sector to natural disasters and highlights ongoing challenges in workplace safety protocols at remote project sites. Rescue teams continue working against time to reach survivors before conditions deteriorate further.