Family fear for missing hydropower worker after Nepal flood - bbc.com

**Family Fears for Missing Hydropower Worker Amid Nepal’s Devastating Floods**

A massive monsoon‑driven deluge that swept across the Nepal‑Tibet border in early August has killed more than 1,000 people, according to the latest tallies from the Nepalese government and international agencies. Torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides that inundated villages, washed away roads, and swamped the country's burgeoning hydropower infrastructure. The disaster has left a trail of destruction in the remote districts of Langtang, Rasuwa and Sindhupalchok, where dozens of hydropower tunnels and construction sites were either damaged or completely submerged.

Among the thousands of victims, a 29‑year‑old worker employed by a private hydropower firm has remained unaccounted for, prompting deep anxiety among his relatives. The man's family, who live in the small town of Chautara, said he was last seen on 6 August at a construction camp near the Chilime hydro‑project when the floodwaters surged. With communication lines cut and rescue teams still combing through debris, his loved ones have been forced to rely on sporadic updates from local authorities, who have not confirmed his status. The worker’s disappearance underscores the human cost of the disaster, as many laborers were caught in remote, hard‑to‑reach sections of the tunnel network when the water rushed in.

Rescue operations have been bolstered by an Indian tunnel‑rescue team that arrived in mid‑August and has made measurable progress at both the Chilime and Langtang hydropower sites, clearing debris and searching for survivors in collapsed shafts. In parallel, Indian state Sikkim, which shares a watershed with Nepal, installed real‑time monitoring sensors at 16 high‑risk glacial lakes to provide early warnings of future outburst floods. Officials from Nepal’s disaster management agency say that coordinated cross‑border efforts and the deployment of specialized equipment are essential to locate missing workers and prevent further loss of life as the monsoon season continues.