India rescue team gains tunnel foothold at Nepal's flood-hit Chilime site

Indian tunnel rescue teams pushed deeper into the Chilime and Langtang hydropower sites with Nepali Army support. The operation highlights India's expanding role in Nepal's flood response as workers remain missing.

In Short

• Indian and Nepali teams worked together despite bad weather and difficult access
• Rescuers set safety ropes after entering the Chilime tunnel foothold
• At Langtang, teams probed 185 metres inside the tunnel for survivors

India's specialised tunnel rescue team has made progress at two hydropower sites in flood-hit Nepal, establishing a foothold inside a tunnel at Chilime and probing up to 185 metres at Langtang, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said on Monday.

The teams worked at the two sites with the Nepali Army despite bad weather and difficult access. India has deployed specialised teams to help Nepal after the flash floods of August 26 swept through northern and central parts of the country, killing hundreds, leaving thousands missing, and damaging homes, roads, bridges and hydropower projects.

Expert teams from India and China are assisting Nepal's rescue teams in tracing workers and employees who have remained unaccounted for at various hydropower project sites since the disaster, with many believed to be trapped inside tunnels. Srivastava said on X that he met India's technical teams deployed for tunnel rescue operations and was briefed on their work at the Langtang and Chilime tunnels.

"Despite inclement weather and difficult access conditions at Chilime, the team successfully established foothold at the tunnel and set up safety ropes inside tunnel," he said. At Langtang, he said the Indian team, along with Nepali forces, was able to probe up to 185 metres inside the tunnel, adding that rescue efforts would continue on Tuesday.

Srivastava also visited the Nepali Army base in Bidur, Nuwakot, which is serving as a staging post for rescue and relief operations in Rasuwa. He also met Nepal's Home Minister Sudan Gurung and Energy and Water Resources Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha and discussed India's support for Nepal's rescue and relief work.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, 158 Indian nationals had been rescued from flood-affected areas in Nepal as of Monday. The ministry also said a specialised Indian forensics team continued its work in Kathmandu with Nepal Police's Forensic Science Laboratory, discussing the optimisation of various protocols and documentation. Overall, India's assistance in Nepal has included tunnel rescue operations, support for tracing missing workers, the rescue of Indian nationals and forensic coordination.

With PTI Inputs

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