TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nepal has intensified rescue efforts to reach hundreds of people believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels after devastating flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
As reported by the BBC, rescue teams, including specialists from China and India, have been working to reach workers trapped at hydropower projects, including the Trishuli-3A facility. Crews have managed to create an opening large enough to enter the tunnel, but officials said they have yet to receive a response from inside.
According to Nepalese authorities, hundreds of the more than 2,500 people reported missing in Nepal are believed to be workers at hydropower projects affected by the disaster.
The rescue operation has entered its sixth day, with authorities also searching for missing people across hospitals and affected communities. The disaster has killed nearly 800 people in Nepal, while thousands remain unaccounted for.
Nepal's disaster agency reported 788 deaths and 2,502 people missing as of Sunday. On the Chinese side of the border, authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing in Tibet.
The missing include foreign nationals from more than a dozen countries who were working in the region, visiting the mountains or traveling on pilgrimage. Chinese state media reported that 261 foreigners were among those missing in Tibet, including more than 100 Nepalis.
Meanwhile, Nepalese authorities have warned residents in flood-affected districts to remain on high alert as water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River.
Flood warnings were sent to people's mobile phones early Sunday as rescue crews worked to clear a major highway linking Kathmandu with some of the areas worst hit by the floods.
According to Dharam Raj Uprety, chief executive of Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Chinese authorities had informed Nepal of increased water flow upstream.
China's state news agency Xinhua reported that a lake formed after Wednesday's floods had largely drained. However, a crater about 5.6 kilometers upstream still contained an estimated 1.4 million cubic meters of water and posed a potential risk, requiring close monitoring.
Residents Return to Devastated Homes
As rescue operations continued, residents in some of Nepal's worst-hit areas began returning to what remained of their homes to search for belongings and assess the damage.
In Dhading, residents found houses with walls washed away and interiors covered in thick mud and rubble. Some searched through the debris for items they could salvage.
"Everything is finished. Nothing is left. Not even our home," Dhading resident Sharmila Tamang told The Associated Press.
As reported by AP, some residents were also seen searching for livestock and other possessions amid the devastation. One man returned to his damaged property and found his chickens alive before carrying them away in his truck.
At a severely damaged power plant, workers began inspecting the facility Sunday to assess the destruction. The plant supplies electricity to more than 20,000 people across four districts.
Large concrete and suspension bridges were also destroyed, leaving communities separated from one another. Along the rivers, homes, vehicles and farm machinery were buried in thick gray-brown sediment, while landslides caused sections of rice terraces to collapse into the water.
Residents said they were struggling to cope with repeated flood warnings as rain continued.
"Sometimes they say a flood is coming, then we have to run again to higher ground, even at night," resident Govind Shreshta told AP.
Search Continues for Missing People
In Kathmandu, people have been placing photographs of missing relatives on hospital walls in the hope that they will be found.
Nepalese media have also reported efforts to locate the father of a five-year-old girl named Ishara, who was rescued from floodwaters in Khalte, Rasuwa.
Ishara reportedly became trapped in a net after losing her mother's hand as floodwaters swept through the area. She was taken to a pediatric hospital unconscious but later regained consciousness and was able to tell medical workers her name and that her father was in Kathmandu.
Hospital workers said no family member had contacted them and that efforts were being made to locate her father through social media.
The flooding has also severely damaged hydropower infrastructure, roads and bridges, complicating rescue and relief operations across the affected region.
According to the BBC, rescuers at the Trishuli-3A hydropower facility have managed to create an opening into the tunnel but have not yet received a response from those believed to be trapped inside.
Disaster Linked to Glacial Collapse
The flash floods began after a glacial collapse in the Himalayan region triggered a massive surge of water and debris through valleys in Tibet and Nepal.
Scientists studying satellite imagery said bedrock beneath a glacier had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it. The rockfall was powerful enough to register as a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.
The collapse sent rocks and melted water into rivers below, producing torrents that swept away buildings, bridges and large amounts of earth.
Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has called for a global response to climate change, saying his country is disproportionately affected despite contributing little to global emissions.
"Despite having only 0.1% contribution to the global emissions, people of Nepal have become major victims of climate change," Khanal said.
Scientists have cautioned that it is too early to establish a direct link between global warming and this specific disaster. However, they said rising global temperatures can increase the likelihood of such events, particularly in the Himalayas, which are warming faster than many other parts of the world.
Meanwhile, Malaysia has pledged assistance to Nepal. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Sunday that Malaysia would send a search-and-rescue team to support relief operations and help evacuate Malaysians affected by the disaster.
Malaysia has also pledged US$1 million in financial aid to Nepal.
Read: Stray Kids' Lee Know Donates 100 Million Won to Nepal Flood Relief
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