How engineers in a WhatsApp group are guiding Nepal's tunnel rescue efforts - Reuters

**Engineers in a WhatsApp group steer Nepal’s daring tunnel rescue**

*Kathmandu, Nepal –* A sudden flash‑flood in the eastern district of Sunsari on June 28 sent a hillside tunnel, used by workers on a hydro‑power project, tumbling under a cascade of boulders the size of cars. Two laborers were buried alive amid the rubble, prompting an emergency response that quickly turned into a high‑stakes, multi‑agency operation. Within minutes, rescue teams from the Nepalese army, the National Disaster Relief Fund and local fire services converged on the site, while the government’s disaster management office opened a dedicated hotline for updates.

What set this rescue apart was the real‑time technical counsel supplied by a loosely organized group of structural and geotechnical engineers who had been communicating on a WhatsApp chat for months. When the tunnel collapse was reported, senior engineers in the group began sharing satellite images, topographic data and calculations of rock‑fall dynamics. Using their collective expertise, they advised on safe entry points, recommended the sequence for removing debris to avoid further destabilisation, and guided the placement of hydraulic jacks to lift a massive slab that was sealing the workers inside. Their input, transmitted instantly via phone messages and quick sketches, allowed rescuers to avoid trial‑and‑error tactics and to focus on a coordinated, “layer‑by‑layer” extraction that officials described as “miraculous.” The two men were pulled free after roughly six hours of painstaking work, and both survived with minor injuries.

The episode underscores the growing complexity of Himalayan hazards, where climate‑driven flash floods, landslides and infrastructure failures intersect. Experts say the reliance on informal digital networks highlights both the potential of crowd‑sourced expertise and the shortcomings of official early‑warning systems, which have struggled to keep pace with the region’s accelerating risk profile. Authorities are now reviewing protocols to integrate professional engineers more formally into disaster‑response chains and to upgrade sensor networks that could provide earlier alerts for similar events. The successful rescue may serve as a blueprint for future operations, blending on‑ground bravery with remote, specialist knowledge delivered through everyday technology.