On the 21st day of the catastrophic Bhotekoshi flash flood, four bodies, including one body part, have been recovered from the powerhouse area of Chilime Hydropower tunnel on Wednesday. 

Three dead bodies were found without any bodily injury in the tunnel.

Chief District Officer of Rasuwa Kamal Prasad Pande said that a joint rescue team, comprising the Nepal Army, the Armed Police Force, representatives from Nepal Electricity Authority and the Indian rescue team retrieved the bodies from the power house of the Chilime Hydropower tunnel. The rescue team was led by the Nepal Army.

The August 26 flash flood in Bhotekoshi-Trishuli River corridor had swept away the structures in the Hydropower and blocked the tunnel, creating utmost difficulty in search and rescue operation. 

However, the joint rescue team led by the Nepal Army continued the search and rescue operation battling the odds.

Senior assistant at the Hydropower Center Kamal Bahadur Kharel said that six employees including an engineer, two supervisors, two gatekeepers and an office assistant were on duty in the morning shift when the disaster struck.

 

On Wednesday itself, a security team mobilized for the search and rescue works in the Upper Trishuli Hydropower Project-1 picked  five dead bodies from the audit tunnel of the power plant. 

The bodies were recovered from a place 800 meters into the structure from Dalung River of Uttargaya-1. 

The bodies are in an unrecognizable state, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashok Thapa.