Rescuers dig 4 bodies from a Nepal hydropower tunnel as families demand answers

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers in Nepal have recovered four bodies from the tunnel of a hydropower plant as search operations continued for those still missing three weeks after the devastating flash flood last month that killed hundreds and left thousands missing.

Families of the thousands missing, meanwhile, are seeking answers from authorities on their whereabouts.

Nepal’s army said that four bodies were recovered Wednesday from the Chilime Hydropower plant, which was situated on the Trishuli River that flooded on Aug. 26.

Nepal’s disaster management agency said five more bodies were located in a different location and equipment was being sent to recover them.

The number of bodies that have been recovered since the flooding has reached 1,403 while 6,150 people are still missing, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

Families of the missing have been pressuring the government to speed up the rescue and recovery process from the tunnels.

They have held rallies and many have called on the government to declare the missing as dead because they want to receive death certificates, which would allow them to move forward with legal proceedings and religious rites and give them some emotional closure.

At the Tribhuvan University Teaching hospital in Kathmandu, the lobby walls have been pasted with photos of hundreds of missing people. Relatives go there seeking news of their loved ones.

Usha Khatri’s husband Indra Bahadur was working as a cook with a group of pilgrims when the flood hit the Nepal-China border. Since then she has been searching for him in many of the towns where the river flows and where bodies have been recovered.

“The government has not done much for us. They have not met us or given any information or any assurances. I am by myself searching for my husband,” Khatri said.

There were 13 hydropower plants that were damaged by the flooding and many workers were either swept or trapped by the raging water or debris.

Finding the workers who were trapped has been a priority for the government and rescuers. But access to the tunnels has been hampered by thick mud, debris and damaged infrastructure, making it difficult for rescue teams to reach the areas.

Two Nepali workers were found alive by rescuers on Sept. 4, days after the flooding. A day later a Chinese worker was pulled out alive from a separate area.

The government estimates the country’s reconstruction costs at around $4.78 billion.