More than 4,000 people remain missing after devastating floods, while engineers are using technical drawings and tunnel expertise to support rescue operations.
An expanding network of engineers is using a WhatsApp group to help guide rescue teams searching tunnels at devastated hydropower plants in Nepal, as authorities continue looking for people missing after catastrophic flash floods.
The messaging group was established by engineers before a massive flood swept through the Trishuli Valley on August 26. It has since become an important source of technical information for rescue workers operating alongside helicopters, excavators and other heavy machinery.
Engineers provide tunnel maps and technical guidance
The WhatsApp group has grown to more than 500 members, including engineers and other experts brought in to assist the rescue effort.
In one exchange reviewed by Reuters, a government official asked members for the layout drawings of the Chilime hydropower plant as rescue workers attempted to reach buried sections of the facility.
Minutes later, an engineer shared drawings showing the powerhouse and access tunnels, providing rescuers with information that could help them navigate the damaged site.
The technical assistance has become particularly important because the floods dramatically altered the terrain around the tunnel entrances.
Millions of tonnes of debris cover the valley
The August 26 disaster sent huge quantities of water, mud and rock through the Trishuli Valley.
According to Reuters, around 2.2 million tonnes of mud and debris were deposited across the valley, making it difficult for rescuers to locate entrances to tunnels that were originally designed to carry water or provide access to hydropower facilities.
Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet told Reuters that the tunnels were not simply blocked in a conventional way.
The flood had changed the surrounding terrain and tunnel structures, while mud, rocks, soil and other debris had accumulated inside.
Rescue teams search for missing workers
Authorities are searching several hydropower sites along the valley.
Around 900 people were reported missing from six hydropower plants, at least three of which were under construction. Officials hope some of those missing may have survived by escaping into tunnels or taking shelter there during the flood.
At the 22-megawatt Chilime hydropower plant, no survivors had been found in the tunnels at the time of the Reuters report.
Nepal’s Independent Power Producers’ Association said at least eight people could be trapped at Chilime, while a Nepal Electricity Authority official estimated that as many as 46 people may be trapped at the Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant.
Rescue workers seek information from former employees
At Rasuwagadhi, rescuers managed to advance about 250 metres into one tunnel before encountering a blockage.
Officials said the search had not been abandoned and teams were attempting to find alternative ways into the tunnel system.
Former plant employees have also been consulted through the WhatsApp group because of their knowledge of the facilities and tunnel networks. Technical drawings shared by engineers have reportedly helped rescue workers understand the underground layouts.
At the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project, rescuers took almost six days to reach the tunnel after its entrance was buried.
Officials have also attempted to pump oxygen through pipes into possible cavities in case survivors remain trapped underground.
Engineers also help trace missing workers
The WhatsApp network is being used for more than tunnel maps.
Members have shared the names and mobile phone numbers of missing workers and asked government officials to pass the information to telecommunications authorities in an effort to identify their last recorded locations.
For families waiting for news, the search remains deeply personal.
Among those still missing is an environmental engineer working at Upper Trishuli 1. His father told Reuters he continues to hope that his son will return home.
Disaster devastated Nepal’s hydropower sector
The floods have caused widespread destruction across the Himalayan valley and severely damaged Nepal’s electricity infrastructure.
Reuters reported that more than 1,200 people had been killed, while more than 4,000 remained missing in the aftermath of the disaster. The destruction also wiped out about 10% of Nepal’s electricity-generation capacity.
With some survivors potentially trapped underground, rescue teams are continuing to combine heavy machinery, military personnel, technical expertise and information shared remotely through the engineers’ WhatsApp network.
