13 More Bodies Found Inside Upper Trishuli-1 Tunnel

Kathmandu : Thirteen more bodies were recovered from inside the tunnel of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project on Sunday.

The bodies were found during a search operation in the Upstream Head Race Tunnel, accessed through Audit-3 of the project. A joint team of the Nepal Army and the project developer, Nepal Water and Energy Development Company, has been conducting search and rescue operations for workers trapped or missing inside the tunnel following the Bhotekoshi flood.

According to the Nepal Electricity Authority, the bodies were found entangled in rebar mesh prepared for concreting and buried in mud. With the recovery of 13 additional bodies on Sunday, the total number of bodies recovered from the Audit-3 area has reached 37.

The recovered bodies were transported by a Nepal Army helicopter to the Khambaswasthya premises in Bidur Municipality-6, Nuwakot. The District Police Office, Nuwakot, has urged the families and relatives of missing workers to coordinate with authorities to assist in the identification process.

Search operations inside the tunnel are continuing with a team equipped with trained search dogs. A mini excavator is also being used for search and rescue operations from both sides of the tunnel.

Following the Bhotekoshi flood on Bhadra 10, 458 people working at the project are still reported missing.