Kathmandu, 16 September (H.S.): Four bodies have been recovered from inside a tunnel at the Chilime Hydropower Project in Nepal’s Rasuwa district. A search-and-rescue team recovered the four bodies from inside the tunnel on Wednesday.

Armed Police Inspector Wakil Bahadur Dhanuk, who is deployed as part of the rescue operation at the Chilime Hydropower Project, confirmed the recovery.

A devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa on August 26 caused extensive damage to several hydropower projects, including the Chilime project. Several workers and employees engaged at the affected projects went missing following the disaster. Six employees working at the powerhouse and gate of the Chilime project are still unaccounted for. There had been concerns that they might have become trapped inside the project.

Amid fears that people could be trapped inside the tunnel, a team of 11 personnel from the Nepal Army and Armed Police Force had been engaged in the search-and-rescue operation.

Following the devastating floods, continuous search-and-rescue operations have been underway at several hydropower projects amid concerns that workers and employees may have been trapped inside their tunnels.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar