Kathmandu: India has stepped up its specialised assistance to Nepal’s ongoing rescue operations, with an 11-member technical team conducting an on-site reconnaissance of flood-hit hydropower tunnels to help locate and rescue workers believed to be stranded underground.
The team, comprising doctors, paramedics and tunnel-rescue engineers, arrived in Kathmandu on Friday following a request from the Nepalese authorities. On Saturday, it moved to the Trishuli area of Nuwakot district, where rescue efforts are underway at a hydropower project affected by the devastating flash floods.
Before beginning ground operations, the Indian specialists carried out an aerial survey of the Chilime and Langtang areas. The reconnaissance was aimed at assessing the terrain, damage and access routes before determining the safest and most effective approach to the tunnel rescue operation, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.
Today, a specialized technical team from India carried out on-site reconnaisaance of hydropower tunnels in the area affected by the flash flood, which will help in facilitating early search and rescue of stranded individuals.@MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy @NepaliArmyHQ @navsri6619… pic.twitter.com/SmbSQZhfzW
— IndiaInNepal (@IndiaInNepal) August 29, 2026
The operation comes as Nepali security forces face major challenges in reaching workers believed to be trapped inside tunnels. An 82-member joint team of the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police has been working to remove mud and debris blocking access and reach those still unaccounted for. Adverse weather and difficult mountainous terrain have further complicated the rescue effort.
According to the Nepal Army, security forces have so far rescued 191 workers from tunnels at various hydropower projects. However, reports that additional workers could still be trapped prompted Kathmandu to seek specialised assistance from India.
The tunnel rescue mission is particularly urgent because the flash floods swept through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors, destroying roads, bridges, settlements and critical hydropower infrastructure. Several hydropower projects in the affected region have reported missing or stranded workers.
India has expanded its assistance beyond the 11-member reconnaissance team. A specialised tunnel-rescue contingent and equipment have been deployed, while forensic experts and DNA-analysis equipment have also been sent to support identification efforts. India has separately delivered 68.5 tonnes of relief material to Nepal, including supplies from a fourth relief flight that landed on Sunday.
Nepal has also begun accepting targeted foreign technical assistance for particularly complex rescue and recovery operations. Alongside Indian specialists, teams from China and South Korea have been involved in assessing affected areas, reflecting the scale and complexity of the disaster.
For India, the deployment of tunnel specialists marks a significant expansion of its humanitarian response in Nepal—from supplying emergency relief to providing specialised expertise for one of the most difficult rescue challenges created by the floods.
With workers still feared trapped underground, the reconnaissance by Indian experts could prove critical in determining how rescue teams can safely penetrate debris-filled tunnels and reach survivors.
