RASUWA: Rescue operations inside two major hydropower tunnels in Rasuwa district have been suspended on the eighth day following floods, while search efforts continue in two other projects, officials said.

Nepal Army Brigadier General Ujjwal Bikram Rana, commander of the Forward Joint Operations Cell, confirmed that search activities at the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project have been completely stopped for now. Technical evaluations by project engineers concluded that the turbine area, located three levels below the tunnel, was filled with water and mud, leaving no possibility of finding survivors.

Similarly, rescue teams in the Langtang tunnel halted operations after penetrating 64 metres inside. The team returned after encountering extremely narrow spaces of less than two feet, making further crawling impossible.

However, search efforts remain active in other facilities. Rescuers continue working inside the Chilime Hydropower Project tunnel with hopes of locating survivors. A joint search and rescue team of 26 personnel, including foreign experts, entered the Chilime tunnel and reached approximately 150 metres before encountering a steep, completely buried section.

Meanwhile, rescue teams re-entered the tunnel of the 216-megawatt Upper Trishuli-1 project after conditions slightly improved. Previous five attempts had failed due to chest-deep mud and debris.

Security personnel face severe risks due to difficult terrain and massive mud deposits inside the tunnels, according to Rana. Elsewhere, heavy water influx hindered entrance efforts at the Trishuli-3A inlet tunnel despite clearing mud with three excavators, compressors, and rock breakers. Rescuers are now working to drill a hole from the outlet end. At Trishuli-3B, workers are building an access road using excavators after locating the project offices and residences.