Article body
Rescuers in Nepal are using explosives to blast into a hillside in search of over 600 workers believed to be trapped in a network of mud-filled tunnels along the Trishuli River. Families are anxiously waiting for news of their loved ones, hoping they can be found alive.
The death toll from the flood disaster at the Nepal-Tibet border has reached 939, with the number of missing revised to 3,925, including 592 foreign nationals. Prime Minister Balendra Shah announced that 279 individuals have been rescued from the sites. The rescue operation is being led by an international team of Chinese and Nepalese military personnel, with experts from India, Korea, and Australia also involved.
Families are expressing their fears as time passes, with one relative stating, "The longer it takes, the more our hope dies." Rescuers began pumping air into a tunnel over the weekend, but families believe this should have been done earlier. Australian engineer Arnold Dix noted that rescuers are struggling to locate the tunnels, describing the area as looking like a "lunar landscape." Nepal relies heavily on hydropower, and at least 11 projects have been damaged in the floods.