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A rescue operation is underway at the Chilime hydropower tunnel near Syabrubesi village in Nepal's Rasuwa district, after devastating flash floods swept through the region, trapping an unknown number of workers inside.
Nepal Police Deputy Inspector General D Regmi said the tunnel houses several buildings and, being a hydropower facility, has many workers during operational hours. "There are many buildings inside this tunnel, and since it is a hydro tunnel, many people also work there...The tunnel is also damaged, and floodwaters have entered the tunnel," Regmi said, adding that rescue teams began operations at around 7 AM on Tuesday to determine exactly how many people remain trapped inside. "We had reached there before the rescue team. The rescue team landed by helicopter. Now the rescue team has started entering the tunnel," he said. The tunnel is one of several such structures built along the Bhotekoshi River, which enters Nepal from Tibet. It was this river that caused the flooding. Roughly 14 kilometres from the site lies the Tibet-China border checkpoint, beyond which access is not possible. A local resident described the disruption caused by the disaster. "Due to heavy rains, the routes have closed here. It is difficult to get here. I have heard that 25-30 people were there in the tunnel," he told ANI. Meanwhile, the rescue operations in Bidur of Nuwakot in Nepal also continue, with the army evacuating people from the region. Several shops in a market in the Trishuli region were destroyed as the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems were hit by the flood. Rasuwa and Nuwakot have been among the severely affected districts. So far, 279 bodies have been recovered from Chitwan, 216 from Nawalparasi East, 168 from Nawalparasi West, 65 from Gorkha, 55 from Dhading, 38 from Tanahun, and 23 from Rasuwa, according to Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Authority (NDRRMA). A total of 3,925 people are missing, as per the NDRRMA, which includes 592 foreign nationals. So far, 11,379 people have been rescued. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday informed that 158 Indian citizens had been evacuated safely from Nepal so far. Unidentified bodies are being stored at 21 hospitals nationwide while authorities work on identification procedures. (ANI)
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