Nepal rescue teams pull trapped workers from hydropower tunnel after catastrophic flooding in Rasuwa

Rescue teams in Nepal have pulled trapped workers from a hydropower-related tunnel in Rasuwa after catastrophic flooding saturated the area with mud, according to a video released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The footage, shared on the Prime Minister’s Office account, shows workers and responders moving through debris and flood-soaked conditions to reach people believed to be trapped inside the tunnel of a hydropower plant. In the video, responders are seen assisting individuals out through the narrow passage as the tunnel environment remains muddy and unstable.

The incident occurred in Rasuwa, a district in Nepal’s central region, where hydropower infrastructure and narrow waterways are common. The Prime Minister’s Office said the rescue was carried out after the flooding and described the operation as part of an emergency response to people trapped in the hydropower plant tunnel.

While the Prime Minister’s Office video focuses on the extraction itself, it does not provide further details in the reporting record supplied with this coverage, including the number of people recovered, their medical status, or the full circumstances that led to the tunnel being overwhelmed. It also does not specify whether the trapped people were employees of the hydropower project or local residents affected by the flood.

Emergency response efforts in Nepal during flash floods and monsoon-related disasters often involve coordinated rescue by security personnel and local authorities, sometimes with support from fire and civil protection units. In this case, the Prime Minister’s Office’s publication of rescue video indicates a public information effort intended to document an ongoing operation and reassure families and local communities that responders were on scene.

Officials have not been reported in the available record as giving an immediate public explanation for the flooding’s cause, such as heavy upstream rainfall, river overflow, landslides, or operational factors tied to the hydropower facility. Without additional official statements in the supplied material, those contributing factors remain unconfirmed.

Next steps after a rescue of this kind typically include medical assessment of those extracted, review of how the flood affected the infrastructure, and follow-up by relevant agencies to determine whether safety procedures were followed and what mitigation measures are needed to reduce future risk for workers and nearby communities.

The Prime Minister’s Office video provides the clearest verified account in the available record of an emergency extraction from inside the hydropower tunnel. Further official updates would be expected to address casualties or injuries, the timeline of the rescue, and longer-term actions related to disaster preparedness and the safety of energy infrastructure in flood-prone areas.