Hydropower Tunnel Floods In Nepal, Workers Trapped, One Man Rescued After Ten Days, Families Wait

Kathmandu, Nepal— Torrential rain trapped hydropower workers in a submerged tunnel in Nepal, with one rescued after 10 days on October 31, 2026, ending a desperate underground ordeal.

The tunnel is part of a 50-megawatt project in Rasuwa District, north of Kathmandu. It is 2.8 kilometers long and was being bored through fractured rock. On October 21, heavy rain triggered a flash flood that poured into the portal. The drainage pumps failed. Water rose in minutes. Eight workers were inside.

Seven managed to run to a higher side gallery. One was cut off near the face. He was a 32-year-old drill operator from Sindhupalchok. He found an air pocket on a small ledge. He had no food, only seepage water. He shouted for days. No one heard.

The project company and Nepal Army started pumping on October 22. The tunnel was full of silt. Two pumps clogged. Divers could not enter because visibility was zero. A small pipe was pushed in to deliver air and water. No response came for six days.

On October 31, water level dropped enough for rescuers to wade in. They found the man sitting on his ledge, weak but alive. He had survived 10 days in darkness. He was carried out on a stretcher, covered in mud, eyes shielded from light. He was taken to Dhunche hospital.

Officials said the other seven had been rescued earlier from the side gallery, but that was not confirmed by families. Some relatives said they were still missing. The company said it was checking headcounts. The labor ministry said it would investigate safety lapses.

Hydropower tunnels in Nepal have a history of floods. Many are built in fragile Himalayan rock with poor drainage. Workers often work with single exit. Safety audits are rare. A union leader said this tunnel had no emergency breathing apparatus.

The rescue was hampered by terrain. Rasuwa roads were blocked by landslides from the same rain. Heavy equipment took days to arrive. Generators had to be carried by mules. One generator fell off a cliff.

The rescued worker was reported stable by evening. He could not speak much. Doctors said he was dehydrated and hypothermic. His family was on the way from his village. The tunnel remained flooded and closed.