Nepal flash floods death toll crosses 1400, over 6,100 people still missing

Six bodies were recovered from a tunnel at a hydropower project in Nepal on Friday as search operations continued for people missing after devastating flash floods hit the Himalayan nation last month killing over 1,400 people and leaving more than 6,100 missing.

The bodies were recovered from the Audit-3 tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 project site in Nuwakot district by a joint team of security forces, the Nepal Army said.

The Bhotekoshi flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, killing at least 1,410 people and leaving 6,145 missing as of Thursday.

The search and rescue teams have so far rescued more than 13,756 people from different affected areas.

The bodies in the Upper Trishuli-1 were found entangled inside a steel reinforcement mesh prepared for concrete work in the tunnel. The team used grinders, gas cutters and rotary rescue equipment to remove them, according to the Nepal Army Headquarters.

The search operation is continuing as rescuers suspect that more bodies could be buried under mud inside the tunnel.

A joint team, including foreign technicians, had earlier entered about 400 metres into the main access tunnel at the project to search for missing workers.

Search operations have also been underway at several other hydropower projects, including Rasuwagadhi, Rasuwa Bhotekoshi, Langtang, Trishuli-3A and Upper Trishuli-3B.

At the Chilime hydropower project, five bodies were recovered from a tunnel on Wednesday after Indian and Nepali rescue teams cleared slush and mud to reach the underground powerhouse. No survivors were found.

Meanwhile, the Tribhuvan and Kanti highways, the two main routes connecting Hetauda with Kathmandu, resumed regular two-way vehicular movement from Friday, according to Santosh Subedi, administrative officer at the District Administration Office in Makawanpur.

The move followed the resumption of traffic at the Krishnabhir section of the Prithvi Highway in Dhading district, which had been obstructed after the road collapsed following the August 26 floods.

The Tribhuvan Highway connects Hetauda with Kathmandu via Palung-Naubise, while the Kanti Highway connects the two cities via Tikabhairav-Lalitpur.

Since September 1, an arrangement has been in place for goods carriers and large vehicles to use the Tribhuvan Highway to reach Kathmandu and the Kanti Highway while returning, aimed at ensuring smoother and safer traffic movement after the Prithvi Highway obstruction.

With the Krishnabhir section now operational, both highways have been opened for regular two-way traffic, Subedi said.